IN  AFRIC'S 
FOREST  AND 
JUNGLE— 


R.H.STONE 


IN  AFRIC'S  FOREST  AND  JUNGLE 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 


OR 


Six  Years  Among  the  Yorubans 


BY 

REV.  R.  H.  STONE 


NEW  YORK      CHICAGO      TORONTO 

Fleming    H.   Revell   Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1899 

BY 

FUCKING  H.  RKVKLL  Coufan 


THE  CAXTON  PRESS 
NEW  YORK. 


TO  HER  WHO  STILL  REMAINS 

THB  FAITHFUL  COMPANION  OF  THE  AUTHOR, 

THIS  HUMBLE  VOLUME 

IS 
AFFECTIONATELY    DEDICATED 


Contents 


PAGB 
I 

ALONG  THE  COAST 9 

II 
UP  THE  OGUN *6 

III 
IN  NATIVE  HOMES 2$ 

IV 
THE  STORY  OF  CROWTHER. 37 

V 
IN  A  NATIVE  CARAVAN 44 

VI 
AN  AFRICAN  DESPOT 53 

VII 
OUR  FIRST  DWELLING 64 

VIII 
SOME  BEASTS  AND  INSECTS 69 

IX 

LIFE  AND  LANGUAGE 81 

X 
SUPERSTITIONS 86 

XI 
POLYGAMY 9^ 

XII 
SOME  AFRICAN  MALADIES 108 

XIII 
HUNTING  .  U3 


Contents 

PACK 

XIV 
MENTAL  SOLITUDE «M 

XV 
WAYLAID  AND  CAPTURED 128 

XVI 
FLIGHT  FROM  EBADDAN 144 

XVII 

HOME  AGAIN 155 

XVIII 
OPENING  BATTLES  AROUND  EJAHVAY 168 

XIX 
WORSHIPPING  THE  DEAD  PRINCE 182 

XX 
LEAVING  THE  DOOMED  CITY 197 

XXI 
PARTIAL  CIVILIZATION 209 

XXII 
LOVE  LETTERS 218 

XXIII 
A  NARROW  ESCAPE 228 

XXIV 
THE  HUMAN  SACRIFICE 241 

XXV 

THE  STOLEN  CHILD 248 

XXVI 

IMPROVEMENTS 259 

XXVII 

CAST  AMONG  ROBBERS „ 265 

XXVIII 
THE  COLONY  OF  LAGOS 375 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NATIVE  RULER  GIVING  A  RECEPTION,.   -        -Frontispiece 
NATIVE  CANOES  AT  LAGOS, 


-  Facing  page   1 7 
BlRDS'-EYE  VIEW  OF  ABEOKUTA,  ' 

BABY'S  CRADLE,  ) 

[• "     31 

AT  BREAKFAST,  ) 

SECTION  OF  MARKET,  -        -       -        -        -    "        "50 

WIVES  SUPPORTING  THEMSELVES  AND 

CHILDREN  BY  TRADING,     ..."        ••    100 

BUILDING  WITH  MUD,          -  -       -    "        "    157 

NATIVE  PRINCE  AND  ATTENDANTS,  -        .        "        ••    161 

KING  OF  EJAYBOO — GOVERNOR  OF  LAGOS 

ON  RIGHT,      -        -        -•--••"    247 
SEMI-CIVILIZED  NATIVES  OF  LAGOS,         •       "        "   376 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 


ALONG  THE  COAST 

FOR  four  eventful  years,  far  from  civilization, 
my  young  wife  and  I  lived  among  the  barbarous 
people  inhabiting  that  part  of  Western  Central 
Africa  lying  between  the  Bight  of  Benin  and  the 
Niger  river  and  between  parallels  five  and  seven, 
north  latitude.  In  this  section  of  the  continent 
about  four  millions  of  people  speak  a  language 
known  as  "Yoruban."  The  natives,  however, 
recognize  a  number  of  entirely  separate  principal- 
ities. The  most  important  are  Egbar  or  Abeokuta, 
Ejayboo,  Yoruba,  Illorin,  Ejesha  and  Benin.  In 
color,  these  tribes  range  from  black  through 
brown  to  copper.  They  are  reasonable,  brave 
and  patriotic,  and  are  capable  of  a  very  high  de- 
gree of  intellectual  culture. 

The  contest  for  African  Empire  between  Eng- 
land and  France  has  recently  brought  these  peo- 
ple prominently  to  the  notice  of  the  whole  civi- 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

lized  world,  and  I  have  thought  some  account  of 
my  long  residence  among  them  would  not  be 
wholly  uninteresting. 

Some  years  have  elapsed  since,  just  twenty-one 
years  old,  I  entered  the  country.  The  striking 
incidents  of  my  life  made  a  vivid  and  lasting  im- 
pression on  my  memory  and  the  reader  may  be 
assured  that  this  book  is  a  narration  of  facts  only: 
it  does  not  contain  a  single  line  of  fiction. 

After  a  somewhat  eventful  voyage  of  thirty- 
three  days  from  the  time  that  Cape  Henry  faded 
from  our  view,  the  joyful  cry,  "Land  O!" 
sounded  from  the  masthead.  Oh,  the  excite- 
ment, the  joy,  the  curiosity !  But  it  was  not  un- 
til next  day  that  we  entered  the  beautiful  harbor 
of  Freetown,  Sierra  Leone. 

Of  the  origin  and  wonderful  history  of  this 
place,  so  much  has  been  written  that  it  will  be  a 
needless  repetition  for  me  to  add  anything.  I  had 
intended  to  take  the  West  African  mail  steamer 
here  for  Lagos,  Bight  of  Benin,  but  our  captain 
refused  to  pay  port  dues  and  was  compelled  to 
discharge  his  cargo  outside.  This  stubbornness  on 
his  part  compelled  me  to  remain  on  our  vessel 
until  she  arrived  at  Cape  Palmas,  two  months 
later.  When  I  saw  the  beautiful  mail  steamer 

come  in  and  then  go  out  without  me,  I  realized 
10 


Along  the  Coast 

then,  if  I  had  never  done  so  before,  that  patience 
is  a  great  virtue  and  withal  a  difficult. 

One  week  of  the  time  we  were  beating  along 
the  Liberian  coast,  was  passed  at  Cape  Mount 
and  three  weeks  at  Monrovia,  the  capital. 

The  surf  at  Cape  Mount  is  very  bad  and  the 
excitement  of  landing  in  it,  helped  to  make  the 
week's  delay  less  tedious.  After  waiting  until  a 
certain  number  of  rollers  had  passed,  the  half- 
naked  Grebo  canoemen  would  rush  the  canoe  in 
on  top  of  a  big  roller  and  beach  it.  So  soon  as 
the  prow  struck  the  sand,  they  would  leap  into 
the  water  and,  snatching  up  all  the  whites,  bear 
them  safely  out  of  the  way  of  the  pursuing,  roar- 
ing breakers.  The  ladies  of  our  party  stood  the 
ordeal  very  well,  but  this  rude  method  of  landing 
had  led  to  the  death  of  one  young  woman  previ- 
ous to  our  arrival.  Not  being  properly  instructed, 
she  thought  the  native  who  caught  her  up  so 
suddenly  was  going  to  kidnap  her.  She  was  so 
frightened  that  she  never  recovered  from  the 
shock. 

Our  stay  at  Cape  Mount  was  also  enlivened  by 
some  good  fishing  in  which  we  caught  a  large, 
white  shark  and  some  very  large  and  quite  savory 
fish  called  "Red  Horse."  During  our  three 

weeks'  stay  at  Monrovia,  we  went  ashore  almost 
11 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

every  day  and  were  most  hospitably  entertained 
by  the  celebrities  of  Liberia,  from  president 
down.  Because  of  this  and  because  a  Liberian 
gave  his  life  for  mine  before  I  left  Africa,  I  shall 
always  have  a  warm  place  in  my  heart  for  this 
heroic  little  colony.  With  the  thrilling  expe- 
riences of  its  early  settlers,  I  suppose  my  readers 
are  familiar.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  special 
providences  of  which  I  ever  heard  was  the  dream 
of  the  Liberian  woman  which  caused  her  to  fire 
the  only  cannon  in  the  fort  and  thus  saved  the 
last  remnant  of  the  colony  from  entire  destruc- 
tion. This  incident  seems  to  predict  that  the 
Lord  has  yet  a  great  work  for  the  Liberians  to  do. 
At  Palmas,  we  were  most  charmingly  enter- 
tained by  Rev.  Mr.  Hoffman  and  his  wife  at  the 
Episcopal  Orphanage.  I  here  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  a  near  kinsman  in  the  person  of  Bishop 
Payne  the  head  of  the  Episcopal  Mission  to  the 
Grebos  or  Kroos.  These  Kroos  are  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  peoples  on  the  globe.  They 
are  distinguished  from  other  natives  by  a  broad, 
blue  streak  extending  from  the  top  of  the  fore- 
head to  the  end  of  the  nose.  I  was  informed 
that  this  mark  is  put  there  by  the  mother  and  is 
intended  to  be  a  pledge  that  they  will  die  before 

they  will  submit  to  slavery.    During  my  residence 
12 


Along  the  Coast 

in  Africa,  I  failed  to  meet  any  one  who  had  ever 
seen  a  Kroo  slave.  For  a  living,  they  follow  the 
sea  only;  and  from  their  very  infancy,  they  are 
as  much  at  home  in  the  ocean  as  if  it  were  their 
native  element.  I  have  seen  ebony  tots  form  a 
line  along  the  beach  and  plunge  head  foremost 
beneath  a  great  roller.  They  would  then  appear 
like  black  specks  on  the  foaming  water  until  it 
scattered  them,  squirming  and  yelling,  along  the 
sandy  beach.  After  they  are  older  they  will  dive 
beneath  a  shark  and  stab  it  to  death.  They  are 
among  the  most  skillful  boatmen  in  Africa.  Few 
ships  trading  along  the  coast,  can  afford  to  do 
without  them,  and  there  are  few  places  of  impor- 
tance on  the  west  coast  where  some  of  them  are 
not  temporarily  settled,  though  all  return  to 
Palmas  periodically. 

The  Kroos  live  almost  entirely  on  rice,  and  the 
quantity  they  can  eat  at  a  single  sitting,  is  quite 
incredible.  I  once  saw  a  party  take  breakfast 
and  I  shall  never  forget  the  incident.  Several 
Kroos  formed  a  circle  around  a  vessel  full  of 
steaming  hot  rice.  The  leader  put  in  his  hand, 
took  a  quantity,  tossed  it  over  and  over  until  it 
assumed  the  form  of  a  ball  about  the  size  of  a 
baseball  and  then  pitched  it  into  his  widely  dis- 
tended mouth.  As  he  was  swallowing  the  mass, 
13 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

he  gave  his  body  a  snake-like  squirm  so  as  to 
leave  as  much  space  as  possible  for  more  to  fol- 
low. All  the  others  of  the  party  followed  the 
example  of  their  leader,  going  round  and  round 
with  clock-like  regularity  until  the  rice  was  all 
gone.  By  this  time  their  stomachs  were  dis- 
tended like  those  of  cattle  in  early  summer.  I 
met  among  the  Kroos,  the  only  leper  I  ever  saw, 
and  before  I  knew  that  he  was  a  victim  of  this 
dread  disease,  I  shook  hands  with  him.  Several 
of  his  toes  and  fingers  had  already  dropped  off. 
My  feelings  until  I  was  assured  that  the  disease 
was  not  contagious,  may  be  imagined. 

Ten  days  after  going  aboard  the  mail  steamer 
at  Palmas  we  cast  anchor  before  Lagos,  and  from 
our  position  saw,  about  a  mile  away  across  a 
terrible  bar,  the  thatched  roofs  of  the  town  swel- 
tering in  a  broiling  tropical  sun.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments, immense  red  sharks,  with  backs  as  broad 
as  those  of  horses,  began  to  appear  around  our 
ship,  and  I  was  informed  that  the  breakers  on  the 
bar  which  we  were  about  to  cross  in  a  small 
boat,  swarmed  with  these  monsters  and  in- 
stantly devoured  all  who  fell  into  the  water. 
I  could  not  help  thinking  of  this  while  cross- 
ing the  bar  a  few  hours  later,  even  though 
the  boat  was  most  skillfully  handled  by  the 

14 


Along  the  Coast 

inevitable  Kroo  boys.  It  is  quite  impossible 
for  boatmen  to  show  more  dexterity  than 
these  half-naked  natives  did  on  this  occasion. 
There  were  ten  in  all.  One  steered  and  another 
sat  in  the  prow  to  direct  the  rowers  by  gestures. 
In  the  midst  of  the  seething,  hissing  breakers,  the 
rowers  frequently  sat  perfectly  still  with  their 
eyes  fixed  on  the  man  in  the  prow.  Then,  at  his 
signal,  they  would  dash  forward  again.  If  it  had 
not  been  the  "dry  season,"  we  would  have  had 
a  much  more  dangerous  time  crossing  this  bar 
and  possibly,  like  hundreds  before  and  since, 
may  have  found  a  grave  in  the  sharks.  Even 
now,  it  was  very  startling  to  see  the  great  break- 
ers suddenly  start  up  before  us  and  then,  arching 
their  necks,  come  roaring  at  us  like  great  monsters. 


15 


II 

UP  THE  OGUN 

LAGOS  is  situated  on  an  island  of  sandy  for- 
mation, its  shores  washed  by  the  Ogun  river,  the 
ocean,  and  a  beautiful  lagoon.  This  town, 
under  the  dominion  of  a  king  named  Kosoko 
who  was-  supported  by  the  Portuguese,  was  at 
one  time  a  stronghold  of  the  slave  trade;  but  it  is 
now  a  flourishing  English  colony.  It  is  a  tra- 
dition among  the  natives  of  Lagos  that  when  the 
English  conquered  Kosoko,  shells  were  seen 
darting  about  the  streets  everywhere  and  hide- 
ously shrieking,  "Kos-so-ko!  Kos-so-ko!"  If 
Kosoko  believed  this,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he 
gave  up  the  fight.  For  some  years,  Kosoko  was 
very  active  in  his  efforts  to  stir  up  some  of  the 
native  tribes  to  help  him  regain  his  throne  and 
revive  the  slave  trade,  and  in  one  of  the  revolu- 
tions caused  by  his  intrigues  I  came  near  losing 
my  life.  But  I  will  say  more  of  this  later. 

Our  destination  was  the  city  of  Ejahyay  situ- 
ated on  the  direct  route  to  Rabba  on  the  Niger. 
The  first  part  of  the  way  we  could  go  either  by 
land  or  by  the  river  Ogun.  We  decided  on  the 

16 


NATIVE  CANOES  AT  LAGOS. 


BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  ABEOKUTA. 


Up  the  Ogun 

latter  course,  and  hired  a  native  canoe  with  two 
canoemen  and  a  young  man  to  act  as  both  in- 
terpreter and  messenger.  The  canoe  had  been 
dug  and  burned  out  of  a  tree  of  immense  size 
and  length  and  the  middle  part  of  it  was  wide 
enough  to  receive  our  mattress  spread  out.  Over 
this  we  built  a  tent  of  mats  made  of  strong  sea 
grass.  (At  this  time  strangers  could  travel  from 
the  coast  to  the  Niger  with  as  much  security  as 
they  could  in  civilized  lands.  Slave  wars  had 
ceased  and  the  wild  beasts  of  the  country  were 
not  feared  on  the  roadways  in  the  daytime.) 

Early  one  morning,  about  a  week  after  landing 
in  Lagos,  we  placed  all  our  earthly  possessions 
in  our  canoe  and,  bidding  adieu  to  the  last  ves- 
tige of  civilization,  crossed  the  beautiful  lagoon 
and  began  our  journey  up  the  Ogun  river.  For 
some  time  our  daily  experiences  were  much 
alike.  When  night  overtook  us,  we  fastened  our 
canoe  to  the  bank  in  some  open  place  and  then 
waited  until  daylight  returned  before  proceeding 
on  our  way.  On  account  of  the  heat,  the  mos- 
quitoes and  the  novelty  of  our  position,  we  did 
not  sleep  very  well.  Furthermore  we  were  sere- 
naded by  weird  sounds  coming  from  the  dense 
forests  on  the  bank  to  which  our  canoe  was  tied, 

although  we  heard  nothing  which  made  us  think 
17 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

we  were  in  danger.  At  one  place  the  canoemen 
recognized  the  track  of  an  elephant  in  the  mud 
on  the  bank,  but  we  neither  saw  nor  heard  any- 
thing that  made  us  fear  an  attack  from  one  of 
these  dangerous  animals.  The  trees  were  im- 
mense but  the  undergrowth  and  vines  were  so 
rank  that  they  often  presented  the  appearance  of 
a  solid  wall  of  green.  The  fauna  as  well  as  the 
flora  of  the  country  furnished  us  much  diversion. 
During  the  day  the  little  monkeys  would  peep  at 
us  from  behind  the  leaves  of  overhanging  limbs, 
and  in  the  evening  they  would  assemble  in  hun- 
dreds on  the  branches  of  some  large  dead  tree 
to  pass  the  night.  They  are  a  favorite  prey  of 
boa-constrictors,  leopards,  tiger  cats  and  other 
animals  and  they  choose  a  dead  tree  that  they 
may  see  the  approach  of  any  enemy  in  the  night. 
It  was  really  pitiful  to  hear  them  chattering  while 
they  were  arranging  themselves  in  little  groups 
like  timid  children.  Birds,  large  and  small,  in- 
cluding flocks  of  parrots,  were  constantly  flying 
over  us. 

In  the  rainy  season,  the  Ogun  is  a  deep,  wide 
stream  with  a  strong  current,  but  it  was  now  the 
dry  season  and  our  canoe  had  to  be  dragged  over 
shallows  in  several  places.  Although  this  caused 

some  delay,  it  gave  us  a  pleasant  change,  for  we 
18 


Up  the  Ogun 

were  much  cramped  in  the  canoe.  We  passed 
several  villages  on  the  river,  and  native  etiquette 
'required  that  I  should  stop  and  salute  the  "  head- 
man "  and  make  him  a  small  present,  and  this 
afforded  us  another  opportunity  for  recreation. 
My  interpreter  spoke  "Pigeon  English"  and 
when  he  wished  to  know  if  I  understood  him, 
he  would  stop  and  say,  "Yousabby?"  But  he 
seemed  to  understand  all  that  I  said,  although  I 
did  not  always  understand  him.  There  is  an 
abundance  of  fine  fish  in  the  river.  Instead  of 
using  seines,  the  natives  catch  the  fish  in  baskets 
or  snares  attached  to  ropes  extending  entirely 
across  the  river.  These  ropes  are  made  of  a 
native  vine  and  often  upset  canoes,  but,  fortu- 
nately, our  canoe  escaped  collision  with  any  of 
them. 

We  came  in  sight  of  the  mud  walls  of  Abeo- 
kuta  late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day  after 
leaving  Lagos,  and  landed  at  a  small  village  about 
a  mile  from  the  south  gate  of  the  city.  For  the 
accommodation  of  myself  and  my  wife,  the 
missionary  of  the  American  Baptist  Mission,  Mr. 
Priest,  had  kindly  provided  two  horses  of  pure 
African  breed.  Mine  was  so  small  that  my  feet 
nearly  touched  the  ground  and  it  was  with  great 
difficulty,  when  I  went  down  a  steep  place,  that 

19 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

I  could  keep  from  falling  over  his  head  on  to 
mine.  But  this  equine  pigmy  carried  me  seven 
miles  with  so  much  ease  that  at  times  he  was 
even  unruly.  His  strength  and  endurance  were 
truly  wonderful.  We  tarried  in  Abeokuta  about 
a  week  and  were  most  hospitably  and  comfort- 
ably entertained  by  Mr.  Priest  and  his  excellent 
wife. 

One  bright  morning,  I  ascended  a  lofty  granite 
boulder  in  the  heart  of  the  populous  part  of  the 
town  and  got  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  What  I  saw  disabused  my  mind  of 
many  errors  in  regard  to  this  part  of  Africa.  The 
city  extends  along  the  bank  of  the  Ogun  for 
nearly  six  miles  and  has  a  population  approximat- 
ing 200,000  thousand  souls.  The  view  of  the 
surrounding  country  is  very  extended,  and  it  is 
both  picturesque  and  beautiful,  especially  when 
covered  by  dewdrops  sparkling  in  the  rising 
sun.  Spread  out  before  the  delighted  eye  as  on 
a  great  natural  canvas,  is  everything  needed  to 
complete  a  landscape.  Here  are  the  homestead, 
the  winding  river,  the  browsing  cattle,  azure 
hills,  lofty  trees  and  green,  far-extending  plains. 

The  outward  condition  of  the  people,  who 
were  swarming  in  myriads  below  me,  was  as 

great  a  revelation  to  me  as  the  appearance  of  the 
20 


Up  the  Ogun 

country.  Instead  of  being  lazy,  naked  savages 
living  on  the  spontaneous  productions  of  the 
earth,  they  were  (excepting  the  little  children) 
dressed  with  comparative  decency  and  were  in- 
dustrious enough  to  provide  everything  that  their 
physical  comfort  required.  The  men  are  build- 
ers, blacksmiths,  iron-smelters,  carpenters,  cala- 
bash-carvers, weavers,  basket-makers,  hat-mak- 
ers, mat-makers,  traders,  barbers,  tanners,  tailors, 
farmers  and  workers  in  leather  and  morocco,  the 
last  named  making  saddles,  shoes,  sword  and 
knife  scabbards,  quivers,  pouches,  satchels  and 
bags  of  many  sorts  and  sizes.  The  smelters  re- 
duce the  iron  ore  and  from  it  obtain  a  steel  of 
good  quality.  They  make  this  into  razors, 
swords,  knives,  hoes,  bill-hooks,  axes,  arrow- 
heads, stirrups,  tools  for  the  carpenter  and  black- 
smith, and  other  things  needed  in  ordinary  busi- 
ness. The  barber  keeps  a  fine  edge  on  his  razors 
by  whetting  them  on  his  brawny  arm. 

The  farmers  constitute  the  most  numerous  and 
important  class.  The  "farms"  of  Abeokuta  ex- 
tend about  fifteen  miles  around  and  beyond  the 
city  walls.  They  are  merely  small  clearings  in 
the  tall  grass  and  scrub  growth  of  the  country. 
Every  one  can  cultivate  as  much  land  as  he  pleases 

and  hold  it  as  long  as  he  cultivates  it.     Among 
21 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  things  grown  are  Indian  corn,  Guinea  corn, 
West  India  yams,  two  kinds  of  sweet  potatoes, 
cassada,  rice,  onions,  beans,  arrowroot,  ochre, 
peppers,  ginger,  peanuts,  sugar  cane,  tobacco, 
cotton,  calabashes  and  many  things  peculiar  to 
the  country.  They  have  nearly  every  tropical 
fruit  found  anywhere  in  the  world,  besides  some 
that  are  native.  Among  these  are  oranges,  limes, 
bananas,  plantains,  soursops,  pawpaws,  pine- 
apples, guavas,  mangoes,  tamarinds,  cocoanuts 
and  bread-fruit.  The  Badagary  orange  is  prob- 
ably the  best  in  the  world.  The  pineapples  are 
very  large,  fragrant  and  juicy.  But  among  all 
the  fruits,  my  favorite  was  the  delicious  soursop. 
The  domestic  animals  are  horses,  cows,  sheep, 
goats,  hogs  and  dogs.  Donkeys,  mules  and 
camels  are  found  nearer  the  Niger.  The  African 
elephant  is  never  domesticated.  A  large  number 
of  ducks,  chickens,  pigeons  and  guineas  are 
raised.  This  is  the  native  country  of  the  guinea 
fowl  and  they  are  sometimes  domesticated  by  the 
people  in  such  large  numbers  that  the  united 
flock  of  a  farm  village  have  been  known  to  cover 
an  acre  of  ground.  Turkeys  are  rarely  found. 
The  sheep  are  like  those  in  the  Temperate  Zone 
excepting  that  wool  is  replaced  by  hair.  They 

are  very  gentle  and  trot  along  with  the  dogs  at 
22 


Up  the  Ogun 

the  heels  of  their  master  as  he  goes  out  every 
morning  to  the  farm.  Each  one  has  a  name  but 
does  not  respond  except  when  the  name  is  called 
by  its  owner. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  farm  products  is 
a  species  of  large  calabash.  These  grow  so  large 
that  they  are  used  as  ferry  boats  in  all  the  country 
beyond  Abeokuta.  One  never  sees  a  canoe  after 
passing  that  town,  going  into  the  interior.  When 
the  streams  are  made  impassable  by  the  rains, 
travellers  are  carried  over  them  in  these  large 
calabashes,  the  passenger  taking  his  seat  in  one 
while  the  ferryman  swims  behind  and  pushes 
him  across.  These  calabash  men  affect  to  de- 
spise canoemen  and  the  name  "agayen"  (canoe- 
man)  is  used  as  a  term  of  reproach  among 
them.  So  easy  is  it  to  have  fictitious  standards 
of  honor! 

The  women  are  even  more  industrious  than  the 
men.  They  have  to  support  themselves  and  their 
children  and  they  most  diligently  follow  the  pur- 
suits which  custom  has  allotted  to  them.  They 
spin,  weave,  trade,  cook,  and  dye  cotton  fabrics. 
They  also  make  soap,  dyes,  palm-oil,  nut-oil,  all 
the  native  earthenware  and  many  other  things 
used  in  the  country.  They  can  be  found  spin- 
ning by  the  light  of  their  little  bowl-lamps  until 

23 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

late  at  night  and  before  day  in  the  morning. 
They  are  indefatigable  workers. 

Rubber,  ivory  and  cotton  are  important  articles 
of  export.  The  last  is  perennial  and  has  pods 
in  all  stages  of  development  during  the  growing 
season  and  the  fibre  is  of  a  very  fine  quality. 
Elephants  abound  and  are  killed  in  large  numbers 
by  professional  hunters.  But  the  great  staple  of 
the  country  is  palm-oil.  Crests  of  palm  trees  dot 
the  country  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  Men  only 
can  scale  the  lofty  stems  and  gather  the  bunches 
of  beautiful  nuts,  but  the  oil  is  extracted  by 
women.  One  set  of  women  separates  the  nuts 
from  their  integuments,  another  boils  them  in 
large  earthen  pots  and  still  another  crushes  off  the 
fibre  from  the  kernel  nut  in  large  mortars.  The 
crushed  fibre  is  then  placed  in  large  clay  vats 
filled  with  water  and  the  oil  is  pressed  out  by 
trampling  and  rises  to  the  surface.  It  is  then 
gathered  and  boiled  to  free  it  from  any  water 
which  may  have  adhered  to  it.  No  part  of  the 
palm-nut  is  wasted.  Lamp  oil  and  soap  grease 
are  made  from  the  kernel  of  the  nut  and  black- 
smith's coal  from  the  hull.  The  crushed  fibre  is 
used  for  kindling. 


24 


Ill 

IN  NATIVE  HOMES 

UNLESS  we  except  the  broad  ways  that  lead 
from  the  gates  to  the  market  places,  there  is 
neither  in  Abeokuta  nor  in  other  native  cities  in 
this  part  of  Africa,  anything  that  can  be  called  a 
street.  By  Europeans,  the  dwellings  are  called 
"compounds."  These  are  scattered  about  with- 
out reference  to  any  particular  plan  and  the  lanes 
between  them  are  always  crooked  and  generally 
narrow.  A  "compound "is  an  enclosed  space 
(generally  in  the  form  of  a  square)  bounded  by  a 
mud  wall  about  seven  feet  high.  There  is  but 
one  entrance  to  this  enclosed  space.  At  night  or 
in  times  of  danger,  this  is  closed  by  strong  double 
doors  well  barred.  Inside,  against  this  wall,  the 
rooms  of  the  house  are  built.  These  rooms  are 
square  and  are  covered  by  a  thatched  roof,  which 
rests  on  the  wall  on  the  outside  and  on  posts  on 
the  inside  so  as  to  give  a  covering  for  a  piazza. 
extending  all  around  the  enclosed  space  on  the 
inside.  In  this  piazza  the  inmates  mostly  live, 
the  rooms  being  chiefly  used  for  dormitories  or 

25 


In  Atric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

for  storage.  Underneath  the  roof  and  on  top  of 
the  ceiling,  they  store  such  products  of  the  farm 
as  need  curing  before  using.  This  ceiling  is 
made  of  palm  poles  covered  with  grass  mats 
which  in  turn  are  covered  with  a  thick  coating  of 
earth.  For  this  reason  a  fire  often  sweeps  away 
the  roofs  of  the  dwellings  of  the  people  without 
destroying  their  homes.1  After  a  big  fire  the 
people  go  out  to  the  farms,  get  a  supply  of  poles, 
grass,  reeds  and  vines,  and  in  a  few  days  every- 
thing is  as  before.  They  frequently  lose  what 
was  stored  on  the  ceilings  under  the  roofs.  When 
the  only  entrance  to  the  compound  is  closed, 
there  is  no  way  of  entering  it  except  over  the 
roof,  and  the  court  of  the  compound  or  the  en- 
closed central  space  is  therefore  very  secure 
against  thieves  and  beasts  of  prey  prowling 
about  at  night.  It  is  for  this  reason  little  better 
than  a  barnyard.  A  pigeon  cote  frequently 
stands  in  the  centre,  while  sheep,  goats,  chick- 
ens, pigs  and  dogs  run  about  everywhere,  trying 
the  patience  of  the  women  who  are  cooking  and 
attending  to  other  household  duties.  The  horses 
are  tied  to  posts  placed  in  convenient  places. 
Cows  have  a  compound  for  their  special  use  and 

1  In  February,  1897,  both  Ebaddan  and  Awyaw,  two  large  cities  of  Yoruba, 
Were  burned  over  without  interfering  with  business. 
26 


In  Native  Homes 

are  never  found  inside  of  the  ordinary  human 
dwelling. 

The  average  compound  contains  several  dwell- 
ings occupied  by  as  many  separate  families,  but 
everybody  in  it  is  subject  to  the  authority  of  one 
man  who  is  called  the  bale  (pronounced  barley). 
This  man  is  held  responsible  under  native  law  for 
the  conduct  of  every  inmate  of  his  compound 
and  his  authority  is  commensurate  with  this  re- 
sponsibility. Native  etiquette  requires  that  any 
one  on  entering  a  compound  shall  first  salute  the 
bale  and  make  known  to  him  alone  the  object  of 
his  visit.  The  bale  is  willing  to  bear  all  this  re- 
sponsibility for  the  sake  of  the  honor,  though 
men  holding  this  position  sometimes  lose  their 
heads  for  not  keeping  those  under  their  authority 
in  order. 

The  compounds  of. the  chiefs  are  very  large, 
sometimes  covering  several  acres  of  ground.  In 
such  cases  they  are  a  perfect  labyrinth  of  dwell- 
ings. If  a  stranger  were  put  down  in  the  centre 
of  one  of  this  kind,  he  would  probably  wander 
about  for  hours  through  little  courts  and  passages 
before  finding  his  way  out.  Away  back  in  these 
recesses,  surrounded  by  the  most  trusty  of  their 
wives  and  retainers,  the  chiefs  pass  their  leisure 
hours;  but  they  will  always  come  out  to  see 

27 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

any  important  visitor,  especially  an  "oyinbo"  or 
white  man.  For  some  reason  they  greatly  fear 
assassination  and  by  sleeping  in  a  different  place 
every  night  in  the  midst  of  the  intricacies  of  their 
dwellings,  they  make  it  impossible  for  any  one 
but  those  they  can  trust  to  know  where  they  may 
be  found  during  the  night. 

The  walls  of  the  compounds  are  built  of  a  kind 
of  solid  adobe  and,  when  securely  thatched,  will 
endure  indefinitely.  The  mission  house  was 
built  of  this  material.  Each  layer  of  stiff  clay  is 
allowed  to  harden  in  the  sun  before  another  is 
placed  upon  it.  If  it  is  desired,  the  walls  may  in 
this  way  be  carried  up  two  stories.  In  the  mis- 
sion-house the  walls  had  been  made  very  smooth 
on  the  inside  and  then  plastered  with  a  kind  of 
fine,  blue  clay.  This  had  been  so  skillfully 
whitewashed  with  lime  made  from  oyster  shells 
brought  up  from  the  coast,  that  a  stranger  would 
never  suspect  the  coarse  material  underneath. 
The  doors,  window-frames  and  sashes,  ceilings, 
flooring  and  some  of  the  furniture  of  this  house, 
had  been  made  of  a  beautiful  wood  called  "roko," 
very  hard  and  capable  of  a  high  polish.  It  was 
sawn  in  "pits"  in  the  forest  by  the  Liberian  and 
Sierra  Leone  carpenters  with  the  assistance  of  the 
natives. 

28 


In  Native  Homes 

Though  the  central  court  of  an  average  com- 
pound is  used  as  a  kind  of  barnyard,  it  is  kept  in 
a  comparatively  decent  condition.  The  poultry 
destroy  what  they  can  eat,  the  sheep  and  goats 
assist  them  as  scavengers  as  far  as  they  can,  and 
the  pigs  and  the  dogs  finish  up  most  that  is  left. 
In  front  of  the  piazza,  also,  all  around  the  court, 
the  ground  is  frequently  swept  by  those  who 
live  in  that  part  of  the  house.  The  natives  are 
very  far  from  being  untidy  either  in  personal 
habits  or  in  dress.  They  bathe  once  and  some- 
times twice  a  day,  and  their  clothes  are  reason- 
ably clean. 

The  main  articles  of  dress  worn  by  the  males 
are  a  kind  of  loose  trousers  called  shocoto,  a  cloth 
worn  like  a  Highlander's  plaid  and  a  brimless 
cloth  cap.  Ordinarily  they  are  barefooted,  but 
when  walking  on  journeys  they  wear  sandals, 
and  when  riding  they  protect  their  feet  with  a 
loose  morocco  shoe  or  with  European  boots. 
When  not  engaged  in  manual  labor,  the  men 
also  wear  a  sleeveless  vest  under  their  shoulder- 
cloth.  The  shocoto  is  girt  about  the  waist  and 
extends  to  the  knees  and  sometimes  to  the 
ankles.  In  the  place  of  this,  young  men  some- 
times wear  a  garment  exactly  like  a  Highlander's 
kilt.  Mussulmans  always  wear  a  turban.  Among 

29 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  prosperous  a  tobe,  a  loose  robe,  generally  of 
white  material,  takes  the  place  of  the  shoulder- 
cloth.  This  garment  is  gracefully  worn  and  is 
often  very  beautifully  embroidered.  Cotton  is 
the  material  out  of  which  the  clothing  of  the 
masses  is  made;  but  on  state  occasions,  the 
rulers  and  rich  men  appear  in  garments  of  silk 
and  silk-velvet.  Through  foreign  merchants, 
these  men  obtain  from  Europe  whatever  they 
fancy,  especially  costly  cloths  and  choice  liquors. 
Woolly  heads  are  never  seen  among  the  men, 
who  shave  not  only  the  face,  but  also  the  head 
and  even  the  eyebrows  and  nostrils.  Some  leave 
a  strip  of  hair  from  the  forehead  over  the  head 
to  the  back  of  the  neck.  Others  leave  little 
patches  as  marks  of  devotion  to  some  particular 
deity,  but  such  patches  are  concealed  by  the 
tight-fitting  cloth  cap  or  the  turban.  After  a  man 
has  made  a  visit  to  a  barber  shop,  his  head  and 
his  face  shine  alike  and,  if  he  should  have  on  a 
spotless  tobe  and  turban,  he  makes  quite  a  pre- 
sentable appearance.  Their  tribal  and  family 
marks,  however,  often  are  so  deep  and  numer- 
ous that  they  greatly  disfigure  faces  that  would 
have  been  otherwise  good  looking.  These  tell- 
tale marks  on  the  face  make  it  quite  impossible 
for  strangers  to  conceal  their  identity  and  slaves 

30 


BABY'S  CRADLE. 


AT  BREAKFAST. 


In  Native  Homes 

rarely  escape  to  the  interior  on  that  account. 
The  fugitive  is  compelled  to  follow  the  roads 
leading  through  the  towns  and  the  gate  keepers 
recognize  them  by  their  face  marks  and  their 
scanty  outfit,  and  they  are  captured  and  returned 
to  their  masters.  For  this  reason  also  fugitives 
from  justice  rarely  escape.  Gate  keepers  are 
thoroughly  posted  in  this  kind  of  lore  and  they 
know  the  nationality  of  every  one  passing 
through  their  gates. 

The  female  toilet  is  better  suited  to  conven- 
ience than  to  display.  It  consists  of  one  or  more 
cloths  fastened  around  the  waist,  one  thrown 
over  the  shoulders,  and  a  turban,  all  of  the  same 
material,  generally  cotton  cloth.  Except  in  cold 
weather,  the  shoulder  cloth  is  passed  around  the 
body  just  under  the  armpits  and  securely  tucked 
on  one  side  or  the  other.  The  cloths  around  the 
waist  extend  to  the  knee  on  one  side  and  to  the 
ankle  on  the  other  and  are  skillfully  tucked  over 
the  hip.  One  of  the  cloths  around  the  waist  is 
used  for  the  baby's  hammock  or  basket,  and 
here  it  laughs,  coos  and  sleeps  as  happy  as  can 
be,  suspended  from  its  mother's  back  or  riding 
on  her  hip  with  her  loving  arm  for  a  support. 

Both  sexes  blacken  the  margin  of  the  eyelids 
with  pulverized  sulphuret  of  antimony,  and  the 

31 


In  Afnc's  Forest  and  Jungle 

women  dye  their  finger  nails,  their  feet  and  the 
palms  of  their  hands  with  pulverized  camwood. 
When  about  to  take  part  in  some  sacrifice,  they 
frequently  give  the  entire  person  a  pinkish  tinge. 
Beads,  nose-jewels,  and  bracelets  of  gold,  silver, 
brass  and  carved  ivory  are  the  principal  jewels  of 
the  women.  The  rings  are  often  worn  on  the 
ankles  as  well  as  the  arms.  Men  also  wear  neck- 
laces of  coral  and  bracelets  of  metal.  Tattooing 
in  blue  is  practiced  to  a  limited  extent  and  is  so 
well  done  that  it  resembles  a  covering  of  figured 
cloth. 

The  limbs  of  the  young  of  both  sexes  are  well- 
proportioned  and  the  hands  and  feet  of  the 
young  girls  are  often  perfect  models.  Their  step 
also  is  so  easy  and  graceful  that  they  walk  along 
chatting  merrily  with  each  other  without  once 
touching  the  jars  of  water  that  they  carry  on 
their  heads.  All  take  excellent  care  of  their 
teeth,  using  the  chewed  end  of  certain  roots  for 
cleansing  them.  This  is  done  every  morning 
before  breakfast. 

One  staple  article  of  food  is  ekhaw,  a  prepara- 
tion of  Indian  corn  or  maize.  After  the  grain 
has  been  macerated  until  it  ferments,  it  is  crushed 
between  two  stones  and  then  washed  to  sepa- 
rate the  husks.  The  milky  liquid  is  then  boiled 

32 


In  Native  Homes 

in  large  pots  until  it  becomes  a  little  thicker  than 
rich  cream.  In  this  form  a  large  spoonful  is 
wrapped  in  a  portion  of  a  banana  leaf  and  when 
it  cools,  it  becomes  a  jeiiy-like  substance  having 
a  slightly  acid  taste  much  liked  by  the  people  of 
the  country  and  by  everybody  else  who  remains 
in  the  country  several  years.  From  four  to  six 
of  these  are  taken  at  each  meal  with  a  few 
spoonfuls  of  a  sauce  to  be  hereafter  described. 
When  travelling  or  engaged  in  manual  labor,  the 
natives  make  a  hasty  and  refreshing  luncheon  of 
this  cold  ekkaw  by  breaking  it  up  in  cold 
water.  Ekkaw  is  cooked  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees  in  the  streets  and  the  market-places  as  well 
as  in  the  houses,  in  the  early  morning  and  late  in 
the  afternoon;  and  before  it  is  put  into  leaves, 
much  of  it  is  sold  to  people  passing  as  a  hot,  re- 
freshing drink.  A  small  quantity  is  mixed  with 
hot  water  in  a  calabash  and  in  this  form  it  is  a 
kind  of  sour  gruel  and  very  anti-febrile  and 
wholesome.  I  was  exceedingly  fond  of  it,  es- 
pecially when  I  was  feverish  and  thirsty.  At 
such  times  my  appetite  much  preferred  it  to  acid 
fruits  such  as  oranges  and  limes.  The  same  was 
true  of  my  wife. 

Another  staple  article  of  diet  is  the  West  India 
yam.     Only  one  grows  from  each  vine  (which 

33 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

greatly  resembles  a  bramble  briar)  but  the  farm- 
ers raise  great  numbers  of  them,  from  one  to 
two  feet  long  each.  It  is  cooked  by  steam  and  is 
very  white,  sweet  and  mealy.  In  cooking  it,  a 
number  of  yams  are  cut  up  and  placed  in  a  very 
large  earthen  pot  containing  a  small  quantity  of 
water  and  another  pot  of  the  same  size  is  in- 
verted and  placed  on  top  of  the  first  and  the  joint 
is  sealed  with  clay.  The  water  is  then  converted 
into  steam,  and  this  cooks  the  yams.  The  na- 
tive women  seem  to  know  by  intuition  exactly 
when  to  take  off  the  upper  vessel  and  let  the 
yams  dry  off.  Old,  well-cured  yams  are  a  very 
delicious  and  nourishing  article  of  food,  whether 
eaten  cold  or  hot.  It  is  more  expensive  than 
ekkaw,  especially  in  the  form  of  cyan.  This  is 
made  by  pounding  the  yam  in  a  mortar  with  a 
large,  heavy  pestle  until,  by  adding  a  little  water 
occasionally,  it  is  converted  into  a  stiff,  puffy 
paste.  In  this  form  it  is  always  eaten  with  the 
native  sauce.  In  its  simple  form  it  is  eaten  in 
any  manner.  It  is  an  excellent  substitute  for 
bread,  and  for  this  reason  is  an  indispensable  dish 
at  a  foreigner's  table.  A  piece  of  sweet,  mealy 
yam  eaten  cold  is  also  a  most  palatable  luncheon 
when  one  is  on  the  road. 
Dried  cassada  made  into  flour  and  then  cooked 

34 


In  Native  Homes 

until  it  becomes  a  stiff  paste,  is  another  favorite 
accompaniment  of  the  inevitable  native  sauce. 
This  sauce  is  a  concoction  of  palm-oil,  flesh  of 
some  kind,  ochre,  esculent  herbs  and  the  ground 
seed  of  a  native  melon.  "  Palaver  sauce  "  is  the 
name  by  which  it  is  known  among  the  Sierra 
Leone  people  and  other  foreigners  because  it  is 
generally  eaten  in  token  of  friendship  after  the 
natives  have  settled  any  difficulty;  but  the  na- 
tives call  it  orbeh.  It  is  made  in  both  cheap  and 
expensive  forms.  Poor  people  have  no  flesh  and 
very  little  palm-oil  in  theirs.  An  ingredient 
called  ogere,  which  has  the  disgusting  odor  of 
tainted  meat,  is  frequently  added  by  epicures. 

Two  very  agreeable  dishes  are  balls  of  corn- 
meal  dough,  seasoned  with  peppers  and  fried  in 
palm-oil,  and  beans  stewed  in  this  oil  and  highly 
seasoned  in  the  same  way.  These  peppers  are 
very  small  and  are  anti-febrile.  The  juice  which 
flows  from  incisions  made  in  the  palm  tree  is 
very  extensively  used  as  a  beverage.  It  resembles 
cider  in  flavor  and  is  not  intoxicating  until  several 
days  old.  They  also  brew  a  weak  beer  from  Indian 
and  Guinea  corn.  Wild  bees'  honey  and  a  kind  of 
taffy  made  from  the  juice  of  the  sugar  cane,  are  the 
only  native  sweets  exposed  in  the  markets.  The 

children  like  to  chew  the  cane  and  suck  the  juice, 
35 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

and  they  evidently  enjoy  this  as  much  as  children 
in  more  favored  lands  enjoy  the  choicest  confec- 
tions. Excepting  very  small  children,  everybody, 
both  male  and  female,  carries  a  small  quantity  of 
snuff  made  from  the  black  Brazilian  roll  tobacco ; 
but  they  put  this  snuff  on  their  tongues,  instead  of 
using  it  in  the  ordinary  way.  It  is  ground  with  a 
small  quantity  of  benin-seed  and  with  lubi,  an 
impure  carbonate  of  soda  found  in  the  country. 


IV 

THE  STORY   OF  CROWTHER 

WHILE  these  people  are  not  in  need  of  our 
sympathy  on  account  of  their  physical  condition, 
the  miseries  which  are  the  natural  fruit  of  gross 
spiritual  darkness  poison  all  their  temporal  bless- 
ings ;  and  their  wretchedness  should  excite  in  the 
heart  of  every  true  Christian,  feelings  of  the  liveliest 
compassion.  They  are  the  tortured  slaves  of 
superstitions  which  destroy  everything  like  peace 
of  mind,  and  they  know  nothing  of  that  happi- 
ness that  is  found  in  every  place  worthy  of  the 
name  of  a  Christian  home.  In  this  life  they  are 
in  constant  dread  of  the  unseen  power  of  malig- 
nant spirits;  and  in  death,  not  a  single  ray  of 
hope  disperses  the  gloom  of  the  grave:  they 
seem  to  pass  away  in  sullen,  speechless  despair. 
In  religious  things,  their  minds  are  a  desert,  a 
wilderness.  But  of  this  I  shall  say  more  in  an- 
other part  of  my  story. 

A  number  of  missionaries,  both  English  and 
American  had  labored  for  years  in  Abeokuta  be- 
fore I  saw  the  place  and  their  faithful  efforts  to 
lift  up  the  people  had  been  crowned  with  reason- 

37 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

able  success.  The  history  of  the  city  of  Abeo- 
kuta  and  the  way  in  which  this  missionary 
work  was  begun,  is  quite  wonderful.  This  town 
belongs  to  the  Egbar  tribe.  Some  refugees  of  the 
slave  wars  who  belonged  to  this  tribe  sought 
shelter  and  safety  under  the  large  rock  which  I 
have  already  mentioned  as  standing  in  the  centre 
of  the  city.  Hence  the  city  was  named  Abeokuta 
(under  a  rock).  Other  similar  unfortunates  con- 
tinued to  be  added  until  they  represented  the 
remnants  of  1 10  large  towns  of  the  Egbar  tribe. 
The  city  continued  to  grow  so  rapidly  that  the 
outer  walls  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  were  thirty 
miles  in  length  and  it  had  become  the  greatest 
political  and  military  power  in  that  part  of  Africa. 
Among  those  who  had  been  captured  and  sold 
to  the  Portuguese  by  the  slave-hunters  was  a  cer- 
tain little  boy.  On  the  night  that  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  his  father  was  killed  and  he  had  seized 
his  bow  and  quiver  and  fought  in  his  place  until 
overpowered.  When  taken  on  board  a  Portu- 
guese slave-ship  with  other  captives  of  his  peo- 
ple, they  were  told  by  the  captain  that  the  Eng- 
lish had  ships  out  looking  for  black  people  to  eat, 
and  that  whenever  a  ship  was  in  sight,  they 
must  run  below.  The  little  fellow  believed  all 
this  and  one  day  when  he  and  those  of  his  com- 

38 


The  Story  of  Crowther 

panions  who  were  allowed  to  stay  on  deck  saw 
a  ship  coming  in  sight,  they  ran  below,  frightened 
nearly  out  of  their  wits.  This  ship  proved  to  be 
an  English  man-of-war,  and  when  the  captain  of 
it  came  aboard  the  slaver  and  carried  away  every- 
body to  his  own  ship,  this  little  boy  gave  himself 
up  for  lost.  When  he  saw  large  pieces  of  meat 
hanging  from  the  yard-arms  of  the  Englishman's 
ship  and  piles  of  cannon  balls  on  the  deck,  his 
terror  knew  no  bounds ;  for  he  thought  that  the 
balls  were  the  heads  of  little  darkeys  like  himself, 
and  that  their  meat  had  been  hung  up  to  cool  be- 
fore being  eaten.  After  his  mind  was  disabused 
of  this  frightful  impression  and  he  found  out  that 
he  was  among  friends  instead  of  white  cannibals, 
he  is  said  to  have  cut  some  rare  "capers."  As 
he  was  a  wild,  little  heathen,  this  was  not  sur- 
prising. One  day  he  saw  the  captain  of  the 
Portuguese  slaver  sitting  on  deck.  Slipping  up 
slyly  behind  him,  he  gave  the  unsuspecting  pirate 
a  sharp  rap  on  his  cheek  with  the  palm  of  his 
open  hand.  We  may  imagine  the  rage  of  the 
man  at  such  an  insult  from  such  a  source,  but  be- 
fore he  could  resent  it,  his  little  monkey-like  tor- 
mentor had  disappeared  below  deck. 

Soon  this  little  African  pagan  was  taken  to  Sierra 
Leone,  named  Samuel  Crowther,  and  was  edu- 

39 


In  Afrlc's  Forest  and  Jungle 

cated  first  in  the  government  schools  at  Sierra 
Leone.  After  visiting  England,  he  became  not 
only  a  well  educated  but  a  pious  man.  On  ac- 
count of  his  piety,  ability  and  missionary  zeal  he 
rose  to  be  a  missionary  bishop  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  he  had  so  many  stations  under  his 
care  that  a  steamer  was  placed  at  his  disposal  to 
facilitate  his  work.  Before  leaving  Africa,  I  be- 
came well  acquainted  with  him  and  learned  to 
love  and  venerate  him  very  sincerely;  for  he 
was  gentle,  humble  and  sympathetic,  and  was 
a  great  comfort  to  me  in  a  time  of  deep  dis- 
tress. 

The  story  of  the  wonderful  rise  of  Abeokuta, 
fired  his  young  heart  to  carry  the  gospel  back  to 
his  people ;  for  he  was  an  Egbar  and  the  whole  tribe 
then  dwelt  within  its  walls.  Accompanied  by  sev- 
eral others,  after  many  difficulties  and  perils,  he 
succeeded  in  reaching  Abeokuta.  Among  the  first 
fruits  of  his  missionary  labors  in  this  town  was 
the  conversion  of  his  mother  and  sister.  After 
laboring  here  several  years,  during  which  time 
he  translated  most  of  the  Bible,  he  was  allowed 
to  extend  his  labors  along  the  coast  and  far  up 
the  Niger  Valley.  His  translations  of  Scriptures 
have  been  of  inestimable  value  to  missionaries  in 
this  part  of  Africa,  and  all  of  them  esteemed  it  a 

40 


The  Story  of  Crowther 

privilege  to  make  his  acquaintance.  Notwith- 
standing the  great  change  in  his  circumstances, 
he  was  not  ashamed  of  his  jet  black  face  nor 
the  tribal  marks  there  which  showed  his  pagan 
origin.  He  once  laughingly  told  of  an  adven- 
ture he  had  in  England  when  dining  with  some 
dignitary.  Feeling  something  soft  touch  his 
hand,  he  turned  to  find  a  little  girl  trying  to  rub 
off  the  smut. 

Before  leaving  Abeokuta,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  Rev.  Mr.  King,  a  Sierra  Leone  mis- 
sionary and  a  colaborer  with  Bishop  Crowther  in 
the  work  of  preaching  and  translating.  He  was 
a  very  humble  and  devout  man  and  well  worthy 
to  be  named  in  connection  with  Crowther. 

But  not  all  the  Sierra  Leone  emigrants  were 
desirable  citizens.  Some  of  them  had  evidently 
left  their  country  for  their  country's  good.  One 
of  the  latter  class  it  was  my  misfortune  to  secure 
as  an  interpreter,  after  sending  back  the  one  who 
came  up  the  river  with  me.  He  was  so  dis- 
honest and  untruthful  that  I  had  to  dismiss  him 
after  one  month's  trial.  His  successor,  another 
Sierra  Leone  man,  proved  to  be  very  trust- 
worthy and  remained  with  me  as  long  as  I 
needed  his  services. 

In  Abeokuta,  I  had  to  provide  myself  with 
41 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

native  currency.  This  is  a  small  shell  (cyproea 
moneta)  called  cowry  by  the  Sierra  Leone  people. 
Its  divisions  were  cowries,  strings,  heads  and 
bags.  Forty  cowries  make  a  string,  fifty  strings 
make  a  head  and  twenty  heads  a  bag.  A  bag  or 
twenty  thousand  cowries  cost  me  five  dollars  in 
American  money.  This  was  a  bushel  of  native 
money  for  five  dollars  in  American  money. 
Near  the  coast,  as  at  Abeokuta,  the  silver 
coin  was  used  to  purchase  foreign  goods;  but 
in  the  interior  it  was  used  in  the  manufacture 
of  jewelry.  The  purchasing  power  of  the  cow- 
ries increases  as  the  distance  from  the  coast  in- 
creases, for  they  are  introduced  at  seaport  towns. 
A  ship  would  bring  in  a  cargo  of  the  shells  from 
some  coast  on  which  they  abounded  and  exchange 
them  for  native  produce  for  the  foreign  market.  It 
required  a  large  room  to  hold  the  money  needed 
to  build  a  house  and  while  building,  it  took 
almost  the  entire  time  of  one  person  to  count  out 
the  money  every  day  and  have  it  ready  to  pay 
the  workman  when  night  came.  The  cowries 
paid  to  an  able-bodied  man  for  a  day's  work, 
cost  about  five  cents  in  American  currency.  The 
only  thing  that  can  be  said  in  favor  of  such  a 
medium  of  exchange  is  that  it  cannot  be  counter- 
feited. 

42 


The  Story  of  Crowther 

All  these  things  about  the  people  and  their 
circumstances  I  have  mentioned  here  because  the 
knowledge  of  them  will  be  needed  in  order  to 
understand  other  parts  of  my  story. 


43 


IN  A  NATIVE  CARAVAN. 

To  prepare  for  the  journey  to  Ejahyay,  where  I 
was  to  be  stationed,  it  was  necessary  to  obtain 
carriers  for  our  luggage,  a  hammock  and  carriers 
for  my  wife,  and  a  horse  for  myself.  My  kind 
host  lent  me  a  horse  and  his  wife  lent  my  wife 
her  hammock,  so  there  was  nothing  for  me  to  do 
but  to  get  the  necessary  carriers.  Of  these,  I 
needed  one  for  every  sixty  or  seventy  pounds  of 
baggage ,  and  four  for  my  wife,  the  couples  reliev- 
ing each  other  every  eight  or  ten  miles. 

Securing  carriers  is  one  of  the  disagreeable 
things  connected  with  travelling  in  this  part  of 
Africa.  They  always  begin  by  asking  much 
more  than  they  are  willing  to  take  and,  if  one  is 
not  well  acquainted  with  the  customary  charge, 
he  will  be  swindled  at  every  point.  Fortunately 
for  me,  Rev.  A.  D.  Phillips,  at  whose  mission- 
house  I  had  arranged  to  stay  while  I  was  stop- 
ping in  Ejahyay,  was  then  in  Abeokuta,  and  was 
going  back  to  his  home  with  us.  Being  familiar 
with  the  customs  of  the  people,  he  consented  to 

engage  the  carriers  for  me.     All  I  had  to  do  was 
44 


In  a  Native  Caravan 

to  observe  and  learn.  The  interpreter  was  sent 
out  to  the  principal  market-place  to  notify  pro- 
fessional carriers  that  I  wanted  to  go  to  Ejahyay. 
The  next  day  many  people,  both  men  and  women, 
came  to  see  about  it.  Those  needed  for  the  ham- 
mock were  soon  engaged,  but  when  it  came  to 
the  loads,  the  trouble  began.  Provisions,  bedding, 
clothing,  cooking  utensils,  household  articles  and 
such  things,  had  been  carefully  divided  up  into 
packages  of  the  usual  weight ;  but  when  those  who 
had  come  to  offer  their  services  lifted  the  packages 
they  put  them  down  with  looks  of  affected  dis- 
satisfaction and,  declaring  that  they  were  too 
heavy  for  the  ordinary  charge,  demanded  about 
double  that  sum.  This  being  refused,  they  all 
left.  In  a  short  time  the  exact  number  we 
needed  returned  and  through  their  spokesman  or 
"head  carrier,"  abated  their  demands  a  little. 
This  being  refused,  they  again  left  in  a  body. 
This  time,  however,  they  had  hardly  gotten  out 
of  sight  before  they  returned  and,  finding  that 
they  were  dealing  with  an  agbalagba  (man  of 
experience),  they  came  to  terms. 

Everything  being  settled,  the  carriers  quickly 
and  easily  swung  the  loads  to  little  cushions  on 
their  heads  and  trotted  off  in  single  file  at  a  kind 
of  shuffling  "double  quick,"  the  head  carrier 

45 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

bringing  up  in  the  rear  of  his  company.  I  next 
started  the  carriers  with  my  wife's  hammock  and 
then  followed  on  my  pony.  For  several  miles 
the  carriers  continued  their  trot  and  I  found  it 
difficult  to  keep  up  with  them ;  but  when  the  sun 
began  to  get  hot  they  quieted  down.  We 
rested  several  hours  during  the  hottest  part  of  each 
day  and  made  up  the  time  by  travelling  early  in 
the  morning  and  late  in  the  afternoon.  So  soon 
as  we  could  see  well,  we  started  and  then 
stopped  for  breakfast  about  eight  o'clock.  We 
then  resumed  our  journey  until  noon.  Resting 
until  three  o'clock  we  travelled  until  darkness 
made  it  unsafe.  In  this  way  we  managed  to  en- 
dure the  intolerable  rays  of  the  tropical  sun, 
which  seemed  to  pierce  the  thick  covering  of  our 
white  umbrellas  like  points  of  steel. 

We  passed  the  nights  in  the  thatched  mud 
huts  of  wayside  villages  temporarily  established 
for  purposes  of  trade  with  passing  caravans.  We 
met  several  of  these  caravans  composed  of  hun- 
dreds of  carriers  of  both  sexes  hurrying  on  to  the 
coast.  Palm-oil  in  larger  carboy-like  calabashes, 
and  elephants'  tusks,  seemed  to  constitute  the 
chief  articles  of  export  from  the  interior.  The 
traders  who  were  transporting  these  things, 
could  be  distinguished  from  their  carriers  by  their 

46 


In  a  Native  Caravan 

turbans,  their  flowing  tobes  and  by  their  long 
brass-handled  swords  in  morocco  scabbards  sus- 
pended from  their  left  shoulders  by  a  large  crim- 
son cord  with  tasselled  ends.  While  we  were 
resting  at  one  of  the  stopping  places,  a  caravan 
going  from  the  coast  to  the  interior  overtook  and 
passed  us.  Their  loads  consisted  largely  of  kegs 
of  powder,  boxes  of  trade  muskets,  salt,  cloths 
of  different  kinds,  copper  rods,  and  still  more 
largely  of  green  boxes  containing  cheap  rum. 
The  trade  muskets  had  flint-locks  and  some  were 
the  guns  thrown  away  by  European  governments 
when  adopting  superior  weapons.  The  copper 
rods  were  to  be  made  into  bullets  so  that 
wounded  men  might  die  of  poison  if  they  were 
not  killed  by  the  bullet  itself. 

It  was  then  January,  the  dryest  and  hottest  part 
of  the  year,  and  we  suffered  much  from  heat  and 
thirst  between  the  stopping  places.  Most  of  the 
way  led  through  high  grass  and  bushes  of 
scrubby  growth,  but  we  were  five  hours  passing 
through  one  of  the  forests.  The  path  was  just 
wide  enough  to  allow  my  pony  to  pass  between 
the  walls  of  dense,  impenetrable  undergrowth  on 
both  sides.  Sometimes  he  would  get  his  feet 
entangled  in  a  vine  and  nearly  fall.  We  heard 

few  sounds  except  the  braying  of  immense  tou- 
47 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

cans  and  the  hoarse  barking  of  large  monkeys. 
But  it  would  have  been  dangerous  to  pass 
through  this  forest  in  the  night,  for  it  contained 
elephants,  leopards,  wild  boars  and  other  danger- 
ous animals.  Lions  are  further  north.  We  passed 
through  the  ruins  of  several  large  towns.  These 
had  been  destroyed  during  the  slave  wars.  In  a 
distance  of  seventy  miles  in  one  part  of  this 
journey  from  the  coast  to  the  interior,  we  passed 
through  the  ruins  of  eighteen  large  towns  de- 
stroyed in  slave  hunting. 

About  ten  miles  from  Ejahyay,  which  we 
reached  about  noon  of  the  third  day  after  leaving 
Abeokuta,  the  carriers,  instigated  by  their  head- 
man, put  down  their  loads  and  declared  that  they 
were  too  heavy  to  be  carried  so  far  for  the  pay 
agreed  upon  in  Abeokuta  and  that  they  would 
not  carry  them  another  step  without  additional 
pay.  Mr.  Phillips  understood  their  language  per- 
fectly, and  he  pretended  to  argue  with  them  for  a 
while;  then  affecting  great  anger,  he  hurriedly 
mounted  his  horse  and  proceeded  on  the  way 
telling  us  to  follow  him.  I  did  so,  wondering 
what  was  to  become  of  all  my  worldly  goods. 
At  last  I  asked  him  to  tell  me.  He  laughed  and 
said  that  the  carriers  would  be  along  presently 
and  get  to  Ejahyay  before  we  did.  Sure  enough, 

48 


In  a  Native  Caravan 

they  presently  came  up  with  us  and  passed  us 
with  a  rush.  He  then  explained  that  they  were 
all  Ejahyay  people  who  had  taken  loads  to  Abeo- 
kuta.  They  were  all  mortally  afraid  of  Kumee 
their  ruler  and  he  had  told  them  that  their  con- 
duct would  be  reported  to  Kumee  so  soon  as  he 
reached  the  city.  He  knew  that  this  would 
frighten  them  and  that  they  would  not  let  him 
get  to  the  city  first.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
missionary's  home  we  found  them  awaiting  us  in 
the  best  of  humors.  We  parted  good  friends  and 
Kumee  never  heard  of  their  conduct.  Their 
danger  arose  from  the  fact  that  their  ruler  had 
notified  the  people  of  Ejahyay  that  the  white  man 
was  under  his  special  protection  and  that  they 
must  treat  him  kindly.  Just  outside  the  gate  we 
had  to  cross  a  creek  that  is  always  past  fording 
in  the  rainy  season ;  but  as  it  was  the  dry  season, 
my  wife  did  not  have  to  cross  in  the  calabash 
ferry. 

There  is  nothing  like  a  census  among  these 
people,  but  judging  from  the  number  of  males  in 
the  city  who  were  capable  of  bearing  arms,  the 
population  of  Ejahyay  at  that  time  must  have 
been  fully  one  hundred  thousand.  It  was  strongly 
fortified  not  only  by  a  ditch  and  adobe  wall,  but 
by  a  belt  of  forest  entirely  encircling  the  place. 

49 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

To  get  through  this  forest,  one  would  have  had 
to  cut  his  way  foot  by  foot  through  large  inter- 
lacing vines  and  creepers.  Since  this  forest 
greatly  added  to  the  defences  of  the  city,  it  was 
a  capital  crime  for  any  one  to  disturb  it  in  any 
way.  Narrow  ways  led  through  it  to  the  gates, 
so  that  the  houses  were  invisible  to  any  one  ap- 
proaching except  from  some  high  position  on  the 
outside. 

One  of  the  most  notable  things  about  this 
town,  was  its  only  market-place.  It  was  situated 
in  the  centre  of  the  town,  was  pleasantly  shaded 
by  large,  low,  spreading  trees,  and  included  at 
least  twenty  acres  of  ground.  Here  caravans 
from  the  interior  met  those  from  the  coast.  The 
former  brought  swords,  sandal-wood,  red  fez 
caps,  silk  yarn,  otto  of  roses,  paper,  beads  and 
other  things  from  interior  and  northern  Africa. 
Caravans  from  the  coast  brought  cloths  of  many 
kinds,  cutlery,  tin  and  earthen-wares,  guns,  gun- 
powder, rum,  tobacco,  salt  and  other  things  of 
foreign  import.  Here  was  found  also,  every 
kind  of  native  produce.  A  particular  place  was 
appropriated  for  each  class  of  goods  so  that  those 
who  came  to  purchase  anything  knew  exactly 
where  to  look  for  it.  Perfect  order  was  preserved 
by  the  governor  of  the  market  who  was  ap- 

50 


In  a  Native  Caravan 

pointed  by  Kumee  and  represented  his  authority. 
Three  times  a  week,  about  twenty  thousand  or 
more  people  assembled  in  this  market-place  to 
buy  and  sell,  or  to  have  a  good  time  generally. 
Fast  young  men  with  a  company  of  admiring 
followers  were  displaying  their  fine  new  clothes 
by  going  from  place  to  place  amidst  the  noisy 
throng,  and  others  were  drinking  and  dancing 
and  firing  guns.  Under  the  shade  of  the  trees 
many  others,  generally  the  older  men  and 
strangers  sat  and  gossiped  while  they  contem- 
plated the  stirring  scene  around  them.  When 
night  came,  thousands  of  little  lamps  twinkled  in 
rows  over  the  whole  market.  The  number  of 
articles  of  native  product  may  be  imagined  by 
what  I  have  already  said  about  their  farming  and 
manufacturing.  Besides  live  poultry  and  the  flesh 
of  domestic  animals,  the  meat  market  contained 
the  flesh  of  many  wild  animals.  In  other  parts 
could  be  found  the  pelts  of  leopards,  antelopes 
and  monkeys.  Compared  with  people  of  colder 
climates,  the  Africans  eat  little  flesh  in  their  ordi- 
nary diet.  Though  they  have  every  other  kind 
that  could  be  desired,  they  are  especially  fond  of 
the  flesh  of  a  fat  dog.  When  cooked  in  their 
" palaver  sauce"  it  is  in  great  demand. 
The  traders  from  the  interior  were  generally 

51 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

Mussulmans,  and  they  were  so  intolerant  that 
nothing  but  the  fear  of  Kumee  prevented  them 
from  attacking  missionaries  while  preaching  in 
the  market-place.  On  one  occasion,  a  Mussul- 
man even  drew  his  sword  to  cut  a  missionary. 
Some  of  these  traders  had  been  as  far  as  Stamboul, 
Cairo  and  Bagdad  and  had  caught  the  intolerant 
spirit  of  the  Turks.  Converts  to  this  faith  were 
quite  numerous  in  this  part  of  Africa  and  they 
were  rapidly  increasing.  I  met  with  one  of  their 
missionaries  who  was  a  Persian.  He  had  not 
seen  his  home  since  he  was  a  young  man,  al- 
though he  was  then  old  enough  to  have  a  mar- 
ried son. 


VI 

AN  AFRICAN   DESPOT. 

THE  character  and  history  of  Kumee,  chief  of 
Ejahyay,  were  singularly  remarkable.  He  had 
been  honored  by  the  king  of  Yoruba  with  the 
title  Areh,  and  by  this  name  only  was  he  known 
among  his  people,  and  by  this  name  alone  I 
shall  call  him  in  future.  He  was  haughty,  des- 
potic, ambitious  and  cruel,  yet  he  was  just  such  a 
ruler  as  these  people  needed  to  keep  them  in 
order;  for  he  was  also  firm,  just  and  reasonable 
on  most  occasions.  I  never  saw  better  order 
anywhere  than  I  saw  in  Ejahyay  while  Areh  was 
its  ruler.  But  he  was  a  bloody  usurper.  When 
ne  was  a  young  man,  he  was  a  notorious  free- 
booter and  slave  hunter.  With  a  number  of  fol- 
lowers, who  had  attached  themselves  to  his  for- 
tunes, he  would  go  out  from  Ejahyay  into  some 
distant  province  on  predatory  excursions.  By 
kidnapping  in  the  farms  and  by  plundering  cara- 
vans he  became  rich  and  powerful  and  the  leader 
of  a  party  which  favored  his  ambition  to  become 
the  ruler  of  the  city.  So  one  night,  with  a  num- 
ber of  his  most  daring  and  reckless  adherents,  he 

53 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

entered  the  chief's  compound,  slew  him  and  all 
who  attempted  to  defend  him,  seized  everything 
that  was  his,  and  then  proclaimed  himself  the 
ruler  of  Ejahyay.  Through  the  terror  of  his 
name,  all  submitted  to  him,  but  many  continued 
to  hate  him  in  their  hearts  while  pretending  to  be 
very  loyal.  Sometimes,  however,  this  dislike 
would  show  itself  very  unexpectedly.  One  day, 
I  expressed  concern  on  hearing  that  Areh  was 
very  sick  and  asked  my  informant  if  he  would 
not  be  sorry  if  the  chief  should  die.  With  a  sly, 
side  glance  at  me,  he  placed  the  back  of  one 
hand  into  the  palm  of  the  other  and  said  in  a  low, 
significant  tone,  "  Be  kawlaw  bah  koo,  adieh  ho 
sookoon."  (If  the  fox  dies,  the  chickens  will  not 
cry.)  I  found  that  I  was  talking  to  one  of  Areh's 
secret  enemies  and  immediately  dropped  a  sub- 
ject so  dangerous. 

The  government  of  the  kingdom  of  Yoruba, 
of  which  Ejahyay  formed  a  part,  resembled  that 
prevailing  in  feudal  times.  The  different  towns 
were  allowed  to  do  about  as  they  pleased  so  long 
as  they  acknowledged  the  suzerainty  of  the 
king  and  rendered  him  military  service  when  he 
was  attacked  from  without.  The  king  of  Yoruba, 
therefore,  thought  it  best  to  accept  Areh  as  chief 
of  Ejahyay  and  he  invited  him  to  come  with  thf 

54 


An  African  Despot 

other  governors  when  they  came  to  pay  the  an- 
nual tribute  and  render  homage  to  their  suzerain. 
In  this  way  Areh  was  established  in  his  usurpa- 
tion. He  also  grew  rapidly  in  wealth  and  power 
through  the  favorable  situation  of  Ejahyay  for 
commerce.  There  were  two  routes  from  the  in- 
terior to  the  coast,  one  through  Ebaddan,  a  large 
city  twenty  miles  to  the  south  and  another  through 
Ejahyay.  In  both  of  these  towns  caravans  from 
the  coast  met  caravans  from  the  interior  and  as 
each  caravan  paid  revenue  at  the  gate  which  it 
entered,  there  was  double  the  revenue  which 
would  have  come  from  caravans  passing  through 
only.  By  placing  bands  of  armed  men  at  differ- 
ent points,  Areh  compelled  all  the  caravans  to 
come  to  Ejahyay.  In  this  way  he  obtained  an 
immense  annual  income.  But  he  drew  upon 
himself  the  hatred  of  the  Ebaddan  people  and  of 
other  rival  towns,  and  he  would  have  been 
crushed,  if  it  had  not  been  for  a  very  remarkable 
intervention  of  divine  providence.  The  ruler  of 
Ebaddan  had  grown  so  rich  through  the  slave 
trade  that  his  house  was  covered  with  cowries; 
and  he  hired  many  adventurers  to  join  him  in  an 
attempt  to  destroy  Ejahyay.  He  so  completely 
cut  off  all  communication  with  the  outside  world 
that  Areh  and  his  men  were  made  desperate  by 

55 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

starva' '  m  So,  one  night,  they  decided  to  attack 
the  Ebaddan  camp  and,  if  they  could  not  break 
it  up,  die  fighting,  as  they  preferred  death  in  bat- 
tle to  starvation.  When  they  came  to  the  camp 
of  the  enemy,  it  was  not  only  deserted  but  it  had 
been  abandoned  in  such  haste  that  it  was  full  of 
provisions.  These  they  seized  and  hurried  back 
into  the  walls  of  Ejahyay,  thinking  that  an  am- 
bush had  been  laid  for  them.  When  day  came, 
it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had  gone  home  for 
good  and  the  starving  Ejahyay  people  were 
abundantly  supplied  with  provisions  until  they 
got  more.  Why  the  Ebaddans  fled,  I  have  never 
heard;  but  I  have  always  supposed  that  they 
came  to  capture  slaves  rather  than  to  fight,  and 
when  they  found  that  they  would  have  to  face 
men  made  desperate  by  hunger,  and  that  too  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  they  decided  that  dis- 
cretion was  the  better  part  of  valor. 

The  king  favored  Ejahyay  in  this  war,  and 
at  its  close  bestowed  upon  its  determined 
ruler  the  title  Areh.  But  Arch's  increasing 
power  alarmed  even  the  king  himself  and  he  en- 
tered into  a  conspiracy  to  assassinate  him  when 
he  came  up  to  the  capital  to  pay  his  annual  visit. 
The  plot  failed  however  through  Arch's  vigilance 
and  daring.  Having  left  his  horse  at  the  gate  of 

56 


An  African  Despot 

the  king's  house  and  approaching  the  king  with- 
out any  suspicion  of  treachery,  he  was  attacked 
from  behind  and  found  himself  surrounded  by 
men  with  drawn  swords.  Drawing  his  own 
sword  or  wresting  one  from  the  hand  of  one  of 
the  assassins,  he  literally  cut  his  way  to  his  horse 
and  escaped.  From  that  time  to  the  time  of  my 
arrival  in  Ejahyay,  there  was  bitter  enmity  be- 
tween the  two,  and  both  were  making  all  pos- 
sible preparations  for  any  emergency. 

As  a  ruler,  Areh  would  endure  no  opposition 
to  his  will.  As  a  concession  to  the  established 
ideas  of  the  people,  he  pretended  to  consult 
twenty-four  elders,  but  no  one  was  ever  known 
to  oppose  him  in  a  conference,  and  no  one  ever 
lived  to  disobey  him  thrice.  Ordinarily,  execu- 
tions were  performed  by  a  special  officer,  but 
sometimes  he  would  be  in  such  a  rage  with  the 
offender  that  he  would  rise  from  the  judgment 
seat  and  strike  off  the  head  of  the  prostrate 
wretch  with  his  own  hand.  Much  of  this  feroc- 
ity was  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  he  was 
compelled  to  rule  by  force,  as  the  people  natur- 
ally did  not  venerate  him  as  they  would  have  done 
a  legitimate  ruler.  Areh  was  not  incapable  how- 
ever of  appreciating  and  rewarding  excellencies 
of  character  and  nobility  of  conduct.  On  one  occa- 

57 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

sion  while  I  was  in  Ejahyay,  a  young  man  had 
been  condemned  to  die  for  treason.  When  the 
executioner  advanced  to  strike  off  the  head  of 
the  criminal,  his  mother  prostrated  herself  at  the 
feet  of  Areh  and  pleaded  that  he  would  kill  her 
and  spare  her  boy.  The  tyrant  was  so  much 
moved  that  he  lifted  her  up  and  said  with  real 
feeling,  "  The  son  of  such  a  mother  will  certainly 
make  a  true  man.  I  will  not  only  pardon  him 
but  he  shall  be,  from  this  time,  one  of  my  most 
trusted  servants."  This  young  man  was  then 
assigned  to  some  position  in  Areh's  household, 
and  remained  loyal  as  long  as  his  master  lived. 

Areh  had  a  summary  way  of  dealing  with 
everybody.  Possibly  because  he  thought  it 
would  promote  trade,  he  greatly  desired  that 
white  men  would  live  in  his  town.  The  mis- 
sionary who  preceded  the  one  with  whom  I  was 
staying,  had  been  halted  (as  were  all  caravans  on 
their  way  to  Ebaddan)  and  compelled  to  come  to 
Ejahyay  instead  of  going  on  farther  into  the  in- 
terior as  he  had  intended;  but  while  acting  in 
this  arbitrary  manner  Areh  had  guaranteed  per- 
sonal protection  to  the  missionary  and  to  any 
white  men  who  might  follow  him.  He  would 
not,  however,  guarantee  protection  from  perse* 
cution  to  native  converts  to  the  Christian  faith, 

58 


An  African  Despot 

One  of  the  female  converts  would  not  eat  meat 
sacrificed  to  idols  nor  let  her  little  son  do  so,  and 
she  was  severely  beaten  by  her  husband  for  such 
sacrilege.  When  the  missionary  appealed  to 
Areh  to  protect  her  for  the  sake  of  common  jus- 
tice, he  simply  asked,  "Is  she  not  the  man's 
wife  ? "  and  then  refused  to  give  the  subject 
further  attention.  As  he  viewed  the  matter,  to 
interfere  in  such  a  case  would  be  an  unlawful 
meddling  with  the  husband's  conjugal  rights. 
Again,  when  the  family  of  an  influential  man 
complained  that  their  relative  had  given  his  son 
to  the  missionary  to  be  educated  in  the  Christian 
faith,  Areh  replied,  "Is  the  boy  not  the  man's 
son  ? "  His  ideas  of  justice  thus  worked  both 
ways.  Though  he  gave  the  missionaries  per- 
mission to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Yoruban  peo- 
ple, he  would  not  listen  to  it  himself. 

Areh  was  a  strange  compound  of  childish 
superstitions  and  practical  good  sense.  Very  fine 
fish  were  sometimes  caught  in  the  brook  flowing 
by  the  town  gate,  and  when  a  man  was  accident- 
ally drowned  in  it,  Areh  declared  that  the  brook 
was  angry  because  of  the  murder  of  its  children, 
and  he  threatened  death  to  any  one  who  caught 
another  out  of  it.  That  this  superstition  was 
peculiar  to  himself  was  proved  by  the  fact  that 

59 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  gate  keeper  who  was  one  of  Areh's  slaves, 
afterward  took  a  fish  from  this  brook  and  was  not 
betrayed  by  those  who  saw  him  do  so.  When 
the  missionary  requested  permission  to  fish  in 
this  same  brook,  Areh  replied  that  as  long  as  the 
natives  did  not  fish  in  the  brook,  it  could  have  no 
controversy  with  him;  and  if  the  white  man 
wished  to  fish  in  the  brook,  he  could  do  so,  but 
when  he  got  himself  into  trouble  with  the  angry 
water,  he  must  not  call  on  him  (Areh)  for  help. 

Among  the  first  things  a  foreigner  is  expected 
to  do  on  arriving  at  a  town  in  this  part  of  Africa 
is  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  chief  ruler,  and  make 
him  a  present  as  a  token  of  friendship.  We 
paid  our  respects  to  Areh  the  third  day  after  our 
arrival  in  his  domains;  but  before  telling  about 
this  visit,  it  might  be  well  to  give  the  reader  some 
idea  of  his  wealth  and  domestic  surroundings. 
His  "compound"  was  really  a  fortress  and 
covered  about  eleven  acres  of  ground.  He  had 
300  wives  and  1,000  slaves.  His  steward  or 
manager  of  his  domestic  affairs  was  a  slave  only 
in  name,  for  he  himself  owned  300  slaves  and 
had  a  large  domestic  establishment  of  his  own. 
Within  the  vast  labyrinth  enclosed  by  the  outer 
walls  of  his  compound,  were  stored  away  an  un- 
told amount  of  treasures  of  many  kinds,  such  as 

60 


An  African  Despot 

guns,  gunpowder,  cowries,  rich  cloths,  valuable 
presents  from  foreigners  and  all  sorts  of  provi- 
sions. Much  of  the  last  was  obtained  from  his 
own  farm  worked  by  his  own  slaves,  but  the 
most  part  came  as  a  tax  on  farm  produce.  About 
daybreak  every  morning  the  people  began  to 
pour  by  myriads  through  the  gates  on  their  way 
to  the  farms,  and  when  they  returned  in  the  after- 
noon during  the  gathering  season,  they  carried 
baskets  on  their  heads  filled  with  farm  produce. 
Two  of  Areh's  officers  stood  on  either  side  of 
each  gate  and  extracted  a  yam,  an  ear  of  corn,  a 
sweet  potato  or  a  small  quantity  of  whatever  the 
basket  contained.  It  took  a  large  number  of 
slaves  each  day  to  transport  what  was  obtained 
in  this  way  to  Areh's  storehouses. 

The  place  for  the  reception  of  visitors  to  Areh 
was  a  large  space  enclosed  by  a  high  wall  which 
was  also  used  as  a  place  of  public  assembly  and 
for  the  public  trial  and  execution  of  criminals. 
Our  company  consisted  of  Mr.  Phillips,  my 
wife  and  myself  with  our  necessary  attend- 
ants in  the  way  of  hostlers  and  interpreters. 
We  arrived  at  the  gate  of  the  court  in  a  satis- 
factory degree  of  state,  but  just  here,  while  the 
people  standing  there  were  gazing  curiously  at 
us,  the  condition  of  things  was  suddenly  much 

61 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

modified.  Mr.  Phillip's  horse,  a  tricky  little 
fellow,  unexpectedly  took  it  into  his  head  to 
"cut  up."  His  reason  for  such  conduct  was 
known  only  to  himself.  During  this  very  inop- 
portune performance  the  saddle  girth  broke  and 
the  rider  and  his  saddle  both  fell  to  the  ground 
in  a  pile.  Some  little  girls  standing  near  im- 
mediately joined  hands  and  commenced  dancing, 
keeping  step  to  a  song  which  humorously  but 
not  insultingly  described  the  scene.  The  manner 
in  which  they  threw  the  description  into  im- 
promptu measure  and  then  adapted  it  to  a  favorite 
tune  was  really  wonderful. 

At  last,  we  entered  the  gate  and  the  rattle  of  a 
drum  on  our  left  announced  our  arrival  to  Areh. 
Through  the  sound  of  this  drum  the  chief  was 
always  informed  of  what  was  going  on  in  the 
front  court  of  his  rambling  palace.  These  drum- 
mers are  trained  to  make  their  instruments  talk 
and  when  we  entered  the  drum  said  quite  dis- 
tinctly, "Areh,  oyinbo  day,"  (Areh,  the  white 
man  has  come).  The  piazza  was  about  one  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  gate,  and  before  we  had 
reached  it  Areh,  dressed  rather  plainly  for  a  chief, 
came  through  a  low  door  and  took  his  seat  at 
the  usual  place.  A  number  of  venerable  men 
were  already  there  sitting  on  his  left.  We  ad- 

62 


An  African  Despot 

vanced,  saluted  him  through  our  interpreters,  and 
took  our  stations  on  his  right.  The  chief  was  in 
an  excellent  humor  and  chatted  and  joked  with 
us  during  the  whole  interview.  Noticing  that  I 
was  holding  my  wife  by  the  hand,  he  laughingly 
exclaimed,  "Why  are  you  holding  your  wife's 
hand  ?  I  am  not  going  to  take  her  away  from 
you.  Put  her  hand  down."  A  general  laugh 
followed  this  sally  and  I  blushingly  released  my 
spouse's  hand.  We  brought  him  a  handsome 
saddle  but  he  took  little  notice  of  it  in  our  pres- 
ence. Mr.  Phillips  said  that  this  was  his  usual 
manner  on  receiving  presents,  but  that  he  after- 
ward inspected  them  in  private  with  much  in- 
terest. After  receiving  a  present  from  him,  we 
again  saluted  by  saying,  "Ahu!  ahu!"  and 
then  withdrew  much  entertained  by  our  visit. 
We  did  not  shake  hands  with  him  as  we  did 
with  all  other  rulers  we  met,  as,  because  of  some 
superstition,  he  never  shook  hands  with  any- 
body. 


63 


vn 

OUR  FIRST  DWELLING 

I  SUPPOSE  the  reader  would  like  to  know  some- 
thing about  our  dwelling-house  in  Ejahyay, 
which  we  shared  with  the  missionary  already 
there.  The  walls  were  of  solid  adobe  and  were 
in  the  form  of  an  oblong  square  divided  into 
four  compartments.  One  of  these  compartments 
made  the  sitting  and  reception-room  and  the 
others,  the  storeroom  and  two  bedrooms.  The 
ceilings  of  these  rooms  were  of  dressed  boards 
of  yellow  roko  wood.  The  whole  was  covered 
by  a  roof  of  poles  and  reeds  so  bound  together 
by  strong  vines  as  to  form  a  network  for  the 
thatching  of  long,  dried  grass.  All  around  the 
house,  the  roof  rested  on  posts  so  as  to  form  a 
wide  piazza  and  let  the  air  circulate  freely  be- 
tween the  lofty  roof  and  the  body  of  the  house, 
which  was  about  eighty  feet  long,  twenty  feet 
wide  and  ten  feet  high.  In  this  way  there  was 
a  cushion  of  air  above  and  all  around  which  kept 
out  the  external  heat.  The  piazza  had  large 
wooden  shutters  extending  horizontally  and  rest- 
ing on  an  adobe  wall  three  feet  high  built  be- 
64 


Our  First  Dwelling 

tween  the  posts  all  around  the  house.  When 
these  shutters  were  closed  at  night  the  piazza 
was  as  secure  as  the  interior  of  the  house,  and 
we  could  leave  the  windows  of  our  sleeping 
apartments  open  without  fear  and  get  the  bene- 
fit of  the  air  circulating  in  the  piazza  and  over 
the  body  of  the  house.  It  was  impossible  for 
man  or  for  any  dangerous  beast  to  enter  the 
house  without  first  forcing  one  of  these  shutters. 
The  house  was  furnished  with  everything  nec- 
essary to  simple  housekeeping  and  to  reasonable 
comfort.  The  bedsteads  were  of  iron  and  had 
high  posts  from  which  mosquito  curtains  were 
suspended.  Strong  cloth  fastened  to  the  top 
ends  of  the  posts  made  a  flat  roof  or  tester  to  the 
whole  bed,  thus  protecting  the  sleeper  from  any- 
thing falling  from  the  ceiling  at  night.  At  each 
end  of  the  house  were  some  small  rooms  as  wide 
as  the  piazza,  used  for  a  dispensatory ;  a  sleep- 
ing-room for  our  servant;  a  study,  and  a  room  in 
which  we  kept  our  drinking  water.  This  last 
had  the  ground  for  a  floor  and  contained  several 
large  water  pots  buried  in  the  floor  up  to  their 
rim  to  keep  the  water  cool.  We  did  not  drink 
any  water  when  not  travelling  until  it  had  been 
standing  in  these  pots  several  days,  because  it 
took  that  time  for  the  vegetable  matter  to  sink  to 

65 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  bottom.  We  further  purified  and  cooled  it 
by  first  passing  it  through  a  filter  and  then  put- 
ting it  into  a  Brazilian  cooler.  The  natives  of 
this  part  of  the  continent  are  often  afflicted  with 
the  dreaded  "Guinea  worm,"  and  as  they  in- 
sisted that  it  enters  the  system  with  the  drinking 
water  we  concluded  we  could  not  be  too  careful. 

The  house  was  situated  in  a  square  of  about  an 
acre  of  ground,  enclosed  by  a  wall  seven  feet 
high.  Two  other  walls  connected  the  surround- 
ing wall  with  either  end  of  the  house  and  divided 
the  whole  enclosure  into  two  parts,  a  front  and 
a  rear.  The  latter  was  about  half  of  the  first  and 
contained  our  kitchen  garden  and  our  fruit  trees. 
Tomatoes  and  arrowroot  were  the  principal 
things  grown  in  the  garden  except  that  a  pine- 
apple hedge  extended  partly  around  it.  The  to- 
matoes grew  so  rapidly  that  the  vines  often  meas- 
ured fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  and  would  even 
climb  trees.  Besides  pineapples,  the  fruits  were 
oranges,  limes,  guavas,  mangoes,  soursops  and 
pawpaws.  The  last  was  the  West  India  species 
(Carica  Papaya}  and  not  only  resembled  a  musk- 
melon  but  was  a  very  good  substitute  for  it. 
The  fruits  were  all  of  a  very  superior  quality, 
especially  the  oranges. 

The  front  yard  was  well  sodded  with  Bermuda 

66 


Our  First  Dwelling 

grass,  and  was  shaded  by  fig-nut  trees.  When 
any  one  wants  shade  and  grass  here,  it  is  neces- 
sary only  to  scrape  off  the  wild  growth  and  then 
place  a  small  patch  of  the  grass  every  ten  feet 
square  and  stick  a  limb  of  a  fig-nut  tree  into  the 
ground  at  the  desired  distance.  In  one  "rainy 
season,"  there  will  be  a  good  sod  and  a  very 
good  shade.  The  fig-nut  makes  a  most  excellent 
shade  as  it  always  puts  on  an  entirely  new  coat 
at  the  beginning  of  the  hot  "  dry  season." 

It  was  arranged  that  my  wife  and  self  should 
occupy  one  of  the  bedrooms,  and  that  my  wife 
was  to  superintend  the  housekeeping  whenever 
she  was  well  enough.  In  regard  to  board,  all  I 
had  to  do  was  to  put  two  bags  of  cowries  into 
the  box  every  time  Mr.  Phillips  put  one.  We 
had  brought  with  us  two  barrels  of  Baltimore 
flour  in  hermetically-sealed  tin  boxes  of  twenty 
pounds  each.  By  this  arrangement  we  could 
use  up  what  was  open  before  it  had  time  to  fer- 
ment. Our  flour  cost  us  in  Ejahyay  twenty  dol- 
lars per  barrel ;  but  it  was  of  excellent  quality, 
and  we  had  the  best  "salt-rising"  bread  that  I 
ever  ate  anywhere.  We  had  also  brought  along 
with  us  plenty  of  sugar,  tea,  coffee  and  some 
other  luxuries;  and  as  the  market  here  afforded 
everything  else,  we  never  suffered  for  anything. 

67 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

We  had  a  handmill  which  made  excellent  meal, 
and  as  we  had  plenty  of  buttermilk,  eggs  and 
lard,  we  had  excellent  "  eggbread."  All  kinds 
of  flesh  were  very  cheap.  Fifteen  cents  worth 
of  cowries  would  buy  a  leg  of  mutton  and  five 
cents  worth,  a  fat  fowl.  We  did  not  eat  pork 
often,  but  sometimes  fattened  a  hog  for  its  lard. 
When  I  was  well  in  time  of  peace,  we  did  not 
have  occasion  to  buy  much  meat,  for  pheasants 
and  guinea  fowls  abounded  in  the  farms.  The 
flesh  of  the  wild  guinea  fowl  is  the  most  savory 
I  ever  ate,  not  even  excepting  the  pheasant. 


vni 

SOME  BEASTS  AND  INSECTS 

IN  one  respect  our  compound  was  unfortu- 
nately situated.  The  belt  of  dense  forest  that 
surrounded  the  town  was  the  home  of  many 
wild  animals  including  leopards,  hyenas  and 
tiger  cats.  The  house  was  located  near  a  crum- 
bling portion  of  the  town  wall  and  these  animals 
would  enter  the  town  at  night  and  prowl  about 
our  premises  making  it  impossible  for  us  to  keep 
any  domestic  animals  excepting  horses.  It  was 
even  dangerous  for  any  one  to  walk  about  the 
yard  of  a  dark  night  after  the  people  had  left  the 
streets.  In  one  corner  of  our  front  yard,  we  had 
a  small  compound  for  the  use  of  such  natives  as 
were  connected  with  the  mission  domestic  estab- 
lishment,— and  for  a  Liberian  who  was  allowed 
to  have  a  sleeping  place  in  our  yard.  Whenever 
I  had  occasion  to  go  out  to  this  compound,  I 
thought  it  prudent  to  take  some  kind  of  weapon 
in  my  hand.  During  our  stay  in  Ejahyay,  the 
visits  of  these  animals  led  to  some  exciting  inci- 
dents, but  none  were  really  serious. 

Although  my  wife  knew  that  they  could  not 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

get  into  the  house,  it  was  a  long  time  before  she 
could  listen  with  composure  to  the  unearthly 
howls  of  the  large,  "laughing"  hyenas.  To  be 
suddenly  awakened  by  one  of  those  long-drawn 
demoniacal  yells  right  under  your  window,  is 
enough  to  chill  the  blood  of  the  stoutest-hearted. 
But  when  we  learned  that  they  were  the  scaven- 
gers of  the  town  and  that  their  visits  were  ac- 
ceptable to  the  people,  we  did  not  molest  them. 
The  dead  bodies  of  bankrupts,  mendicants  and 
babes  in  this  country  are  not  buried,  but  are 
thrown  out  into  the  "bush"  along  the  town 
walls  or  into  places  reserved  for  refuse  matter. 
Such  places  would  soon  breed  pestilence  if  it 
were  not  for  these  noisy  prowlers  of  the  night. 
They  had  been  so  accustomed  to  roam  with  im- 
punity that  they  sometimes  came  moaning  up  to 
our  front  gate  before  it  was  dark,  but  I  did  not 
dare  to  shoot  them  lest  it  might  offend  the  super- 
stitious. I  was  informed  that  the  most  savage 
among  them  never  attacked  in  the  daytime,  and 
that  those  which  wandered  about  the  streets 
were  not  especially  dangerous  at  any  time.  But 
I  doubt  this,  for  at  night  the  people  were  always 
secure  in  their  compounds  and  had  no  way  of 
knowing  what  they  would  do.  Yet  some  of  the 
"old  stagers"  did  seem  to  be  partially  domesti- 

70 


Some  Beasts  and  Insects 

cated.  One  evening  about  dark,  I  saw  a  young 
native  man  connected  with  the  mission  station 
run  toward  one  of  these  old  hyenas  that  was 
coming  up  a  path  leading  from  the  wall  to  the 
yard  gate.  Instead  of  showing  fight,  the  beast 
turned  and  shuffled  back  to  the  bushes  along  the 
wall  of  the  town.  When  I  remonstrated  with 
him  on  account  of  such  recklessness,  he  laugh- 
ingly replied,  "He  is  an  old  coward.  He  can't 
even  run.  He  goes  just  so,"  imitating  the  awk- 
ward gait  of  the  hyena.  After  they  have  been 
tamed  by  familiarity  with  the  sight  of  man,  as  in 
this  case,  I  suspect  that  the  worst  part  of  them  is 
their  prolonged  howl. 

The  leopard  is  strong,  agile,  stealthy  and  fero- 
cious, and  the  natives  are  much  afraid  of  it.  One 
night  my  hostler  rushed  into  the  house  and  told 
me  that  a  leopard  had  just  sprung  over  the  wall, 
seized  a  kid  near  him,  and  then  sprung  back 
again.  He  appeared  to  be  frightened  nearly  out 
of  his  wits.  Another  night  one  of  the  interpre- 
ters fired  on  a  leopard  as  he  was  carrying  away  a 
goat,  but  the  beast  refused  to  give  up  his  prey 
and  replied  with  an  angry  roar.  My  own  nerves 
were  a  little  shaken  up  on  one  occasion.  I  was 
sitting  at  the  table  in  the  reception-room  writing. 
Mr.  Phillips  had  gone  to  a  neighboring  town,  my 

71 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

wife  had  retired  for  the  night,  and  everything 
about  the  house  was  so  still  that  the  slightest 
sound  was  audible,  when  I  distinctly  heard  the 
rattling  of  claws  on  the  floor  of  the  back  piazza. 
But  the  window  shutter,  as  well  as  the  door,  was 
closed,  and  the  animal  could  not  get  into  the 
room.  Presently  the  door  was  shaken  with  con- 
siderable violence.  I  sprang  forward  and  held  it 
until  all  was  quiet  again,  and  then  slightly  opened 
it  to  see  what  the  creature  was.  The  strong 
odor  told  me  and  I  instantly  closed  and  locked  it. 
I  tapped  the  alarm  bell  and  called  in  my  inter- 
preter from  the  other  side.  He  opened  the  door 
while  I  stood  ready  with  my  gun;  but  though 
we  searched  the  entire  back  yard,  we  did  not  see 
our  visitor.  He  had  thought  best  to  retreat.  I 
found  that  one  of  the  shutters  of  the  back  piazza 
had  been  left  open,  and  the  beast  had  boldly  en- 
tered in  search  of  prey. 

Some  adventures  with  smaller  animals  led  to 
much  fun.  About  daybreak  on  one  occasion, 
we  were  startled  by  the  loud  report  of  a  gun  on 
the  premises.  Mr.  Phillips  hastened  out  and 
found  the  Liberian  greatly  frightened.  He  de- 
clared that  he  had  just  seen  the  devil  and,  not 
knowing  him  at  the  time,  had  fired  on  him.  He 
said  that  a  long,  black  beast  was  up  the  tree 

72 


Some  Beasts  and  Insects 

where  his  chickens  were  roosting,  and  that  he 
placed  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  within  a  few  inches 
of  its  body  and  fired.  Instead  of  falling  dead,  it 
hissed  in  a  dreadful  manner,  then  sprang  over 
his  head  and  disappeared  in  the  air.  He  had 
given  himself  up  for  lost.  When  morning  came, 
however,  he  was  overjoyed  to  find  that  the  en- 
tire charge  had  entered  an  intervening  limb  of 
the  tree,  and  his  joy  was  as  childish  as  his  fears 
had  been. 

Soon  after  this  there  was  another  adventure 
with  a  small  animal  in  which  I  was  the  victim. 
When  the  weather  was  very  hot  we  not  only  al- 
lowed the  shutters  of  the  reception-room  to  re- 
main open  but  even  let  down  several  of  the  shut- 
ters of  the  piazza,  sufficiently  to  allow  a  circula- 
tion of  air,  but  not  enough  to  allow  a  leopard  or 
hyena  to  enter.  Our  bedroom  adjoined  the  re- 
ception-room, and  one  night  I  heard  a  noise  as  if 
some  animal  was  in  there.  The  next  night,  I  set 
a  steel  trap  and  waited  developments.  About 
midnight  there  was  the  sound  of  some  heavy  an- 
imal entering,  then  the  muffled  click  of  the  trap 
and  both  animal  and  trap  fell  from  the  dining 
table  to  the  floor  with  a  great  clatter.  This 
waked  my  wife  and,  thinking  it  was  a  leopard, 
she  gave  vent  to  her  fears  as  her  sex  usually  does. 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

I  gave  vent  to  mine  by  furiously  ringing  the 
alarm  bell.  My  interpreter  and  hostler  quickly 
responded,  fearing  that  something  dreadful  was 
the  matter.  I  had  closed  the  door  leading  to  the 
reception-room,  but  1  could  hear  the  beast  snort- 
ing, growling,  and  gnawing  the  trap.  We  were 
much  in  need  of  volunteers  to  go  on  a  scouting 
expedition,  but  I  didn't  volunteer.  I  did  not 
come  to  Africa  to  investigate  mysterious  speci- 
mens in  natural  history.  After  a  council  of  war 
in  which  I  acted  as  commander-in-chief,  it  was 
arranged  that  the  interpreter  should  enter  the 
room  armed  with  a  long  club  which  he  had 
brought  with  him,  and  that  the  hostler,  who  was 
a  mere  boy,  should  hold  a  lighted  candle  for  him. 
Arrayed  in  my  sleeping  robe,  I  cautiously  brought 
up  the  rear.  The  beast  had  become  still,  and  we 
did  not  see  him  until,  with  a  sniff  and  rush  he 
made  at  us  from  beneath  the  table.  The  inter- 
preter struck  it  down  and  fastened  it  to  the  floor 
with  the  club  while  it  struggled  to  free  itself, 
growling  and  snorting  terribly.  The  hostler  was 
seized  with  a  panic  and  fled  with  the  light  and 
closed  the  door  behind  him.  I  felt  it  to  be  my 
duty  to  hurry  up  and  bring  him  back(?)  The 
interpreter  in  the  meantime  was  yelling  for  the 

light  and  for  help.  My  wife  naturally  supposed  we 
74 


Some  Beasts  and  Insects 

were  a/1  in  great  peril  and  again  screamed  with 
terror.  Assuring  her  that  we  would  protect  her, 
I  rallied  my  demoralized  forces  (including  my 
own  nerves)  and  went  to  the  rescue  of  the  inter- 
preter. A  few  blows  on  the  head  laid  out  our 
enemy  and  brought  peace  once  more  to  our 
household.  It  proved  to  be  an  animal  that  science 
places  in  the  family  of  porcupines.  It  was  about 
the  size  of  a  large  opossum  but  was  more  like  a 
rat  than  anything  I  ever  saw  that  was  not  a  rat. 
The  Sierra  Leone  people  call  it  "ground  pig." 
We  roasted  it  whole  and  found  it  to  be  most  ex- 
cellent eating. 

The  most  troublesome  of  all  our  nocturnal  vis- 
itors were  the  "driver"  or  "soldier"  ants.  They 
are  savage  and  bloodthirsty  and  their  strong, 
sharp  nippers  enable  them  easily  to  tear  the  flesh 
of  any  object  of  attack.  When  they  are  on  a 
foraging  expedition,  they  place  themselves  along 
the  outside  of  the  living  stream  and  rush  fiercely 
at  any  living  thing,  however  large,  that  molests 
the  workers  in  their  charge.  When  the  line  of 
march  crosses  a  path,  the  soldiers  lock  their  feet 
and  nippers  together  and  thus  form  a  strong  arch 
under  which  the  other  ants  march  without  being 
seen.  So  long  as  they  are  not  disturbed,  one 

can  examine  them  at  his  leisure;  but  if  the  sol- 
75 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

dier  ants  have  reason  to  fear  that  the  column  is 
in  danger  of  attack,  with  head  erect  and  nippers 
wide  open,  they  will  rush  at  the  supposed  enemy 
with  utter  fearlessness.  For  anything  that  has 
nerves,  retreat  is  then  imperative. 

Issuing  from  some  den  in  the  ground,  these 
creatures  move  in  countless  myriads,  the  column 
being  about  an  inch  wide  and  seemingly  endless. 
When  they  reach  a  place  where  there  is  plenty  of 
prey,  they  break  ranks  and  spread  themselves 
thickly  over  the  ground  as  far  as  their  numbers 
will  extend.  Sometimes  in  "  driving  "  they  cover 
an  acre  of  ground  or  the  inner  walls  of  a  large 
house.  They  pursue  their  prey  in  darkness  only 
and  quickly  form  a  line  when  surprised  by  a 
bright  light.  Their  presence  in  a  house  may 
always  be  known  by  the  squealing  of  rats  and 
mice  and  the  commotion  among  winged  insects. 
The  driver  ants  are  carnivorous  and  will  devour 
anything  living  that  either  cannot  or  will  not  flee 
from  them.  If  their  victims  would  flee  they 
might  save  themselves,  but  they  stop  to  fight  and 
are  lost.  A  rat  will  stop  to  bite  or  scratch  them 
off  and  he  kills  a  large  number  of  them,  but  in 
another  moment  the  silly  creature  resembles  a 
black,  quivering  ball  and  surrenders  to  its  fate. 
The  large,  red-headed  lizard  which  abounds  here, 

76 


Some  Beasts  and  Insects 

acts  differently.  It  will  flee  in  the  night  but  in 
the  daytime  it  will  cautiously  approach  a  line 
and  rapidly  gulp  down  several  mouthfuls  of  the 
ants  before  the  guards  discover  what  is  going  on. 
When  these  rush  at  the  robber,  it  will  run  away 
apparently  in  great  fear  and  after  getting  at  a 
safe  distance,  will  stop  and  bob  its  head  up  and 
down. 

These  ants  had  a  den  in  the  bushes  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  mission  house,  and  we 
had  many  visits  from  them  until  I  covered  it  with 
grass  and  burned  it  out.  We  did  not  object  to 
having  our  premises  cleaned  out  occasionally,  but 
it  looked  as  if  they  were  about  to  include  us  as 
part  of  their  prey.  One  night  just  after  dark.  I 
heard  a  child  connected  with  our  native  com- 
pound give  a  piercing  scream,  and  I  immediately 
snatched  it  up  and  brought  it  to  the  light.  Its 
neck  appeared  to  be  encircled  by  a  large  black 
snake,  but  when  I  tried  to  tear  it  off,  I  found  that 
the  thing  was  a  mass  of  "driver"  ants.  After 
rescuing  the  child,  I  had  a  lively  time  freeing  my- 
self. Another  night  I  was  waked  by  piercing 
screams  from  my  wife.  I  lighted  a  candle  in- 
stantly and  found  her  sitting  up  in  bed  tearing 
her  hair  like  a  maniac.  Her  neck  was  covered 

with  "drivers "  and  they  had  also  gotten  into  her 

77 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

hair.  We  had  always  kept  the  feet  of  our  iron 
bedstead  surrounded  by  some  sticky  substance, 
and  in  this  way  had  generally  escaped  them 
when  they  entered  our  room :  but  that  night,  a 
part  of  our  mosquito  curtain  had  fallen  to  the 
floor  and  they  had  run  up  on  that.  We  looked 
carefully  to  our  mosquito  curtains  after  that,  and 
whenever  I  heard  the  noises  that  attend  their  ar- 
rival, I  merely  lighted  a  candle.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments the  walls  were  streaked  with  lines  of 
march  as  they  hurried  to  get  out  of  the  light.  I 
made  no  attempt  to  destroy  them  until  I  found 
them  trying  to  get  their  "  eyah  "  or  "  mother"  un- 
der our  house.  They  showed  amazing  strength 
and  perseverance  in  guarding  and  transporting 
this  singular  object.  It  would  have  been  taken 
for  a  large  cigar  only  that  it  was  covered  all  over 
with  small,  thin  scales.  It  is  needless  to  say  they 
did  not  succeed  in  getting  their  "eyah  "under 
our  house.  I  kept  this  natural  curiosity  for  some- 
time, but  failed  to  bring  it  home  with  me. 

In  the  large  white  ant  of  Africa,  we  had  a  more 
intolerable  pest  than  in  the  driver  ant.  The 
Sierra  Leone  people  call  them  "bugbugs."  They 
devour  anything  except  metal,  stone  and  the 
hardest  wood,  and  they  do  this  in  such  an  in- 
sidious manner  that  the  mischief  is  not  even  sus- 
78 


Some  Beasts  and  Insects 

pected  until  the  destruction  of  the  object  is  ac- 
complished. In  the  storeroom  at  Ejahyay  there 
were  some  trunks  containing  valuable  cloths  and 
pelts.  I  frequently  opened  the  door  to  see  if  they 
were  intact  and  found  everything  in  apparently 
good  order.  One  day  I  opened  one  and  found 
that  it  contained  nothing  but  earth.  All  the 
others  were  in  the  same  condition.  They  had 
devoured  hundreds  of  dollars  worth  of  stuff. 
They  never  come  to  the  light  but  approach  every- 
thing through  secret  passages  covered  with  earth. 
The  roof  and  woodwork  of  the  first  house  oc- 
cupied by  Mr.  Phillips  were  completely  devoured 
by  them  before  he  ever  suspected  their  presence. 
Having  noticed  some  ridges  of  earth  on  the 
walls,  he  opened  them  and  found  that  they  were 
covered  ways  of  the  "  bugbugs  "  leading  from 
the  ground  to  the  woodwork  above.  An  ex- 
amination disclosed  the  fact  that  the  timbers  of 
the  roof  and  the  ceiling  were  mere  shells  full  of 
earth.  The  first  strong  wind  would  have  brought 
the  whole  fabric  down  on  his  head.  Fortunately 
there  is  a  wood,  called  roko,  too  hard  for  this 
voracious  mite,  and  out  of  this  the  natives  con- 
struct the  woodwork  of  their  houses.  Mission- 
aries learn  to  follow  their  example  but  not  until 
they  have  paid  dearly  for  the  knowledge.  Books, 

79 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

furniture  and  clothing  were  destroyed  before 
their  owners  learned  to  place  nothing  which 
these  ants  can  devour  so  that  they  can  approach 
it  under  the  canopy  of  earth.  All  wooden  boxes 
were  made  of  roho.  Provisions  were  generally 
kept  in  tin. 


80 


IX 

LIFE  AND  LANGUAGE 

AFTER  our  visit  to  Areh,  we  settled  down  to 
the  regular  routine  of  domestic  life.  Ejahyay 
being  only  a  few  degrees  north  of  the  equator, 
the  sun  rises  and  sets  about  six  o'clock  all  the 
year  round.  We  generally  retired  about  nine, 
rose  about  six  and  breakfasted  about  eight. 
When  we  were  well,  we  would  frequently  take 
a  ride  or  walk  before  breakfast,  but  before  going 
out  or  taking  any  kind  of  exercise,  we  would 
drink  a  cup  of  coffee  or  cocoa  or  suck  an  orange. 
After  we  learned  to  like  hot  ekkaw,  we  would 
often  drink  a  calabash  of  this  instead  of  coffee. 
We  rarely  braved  the  vertical  rays  of  the  sun  in 
the  hot  season.  In  the  afternoon  we  would  go 
out  between  four  and  seven.  While  out,  if  on 
horseback  we  rode  about  the  town  or  took  short 
trips  outside  the  walls ;  if  on  foot,  we  went  to 
the  market,  strolled  about  the  streets,  or  visited 
the  people  in  their  houses.  In  these  trips,  we 
had  many  amusing  adventures.  Since  Areh  had 
given  us  such  a  cordial  reception,  we  were  safe 
anywhere  as  long  as  we  behaved  ourselves  and 

we  never  felt  afraid.     Sometimes  my  wife  would 
81 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

mount  her  pony  and,  attended  by  the  horseboy 
alone,  would  ride  about  the  town  for  an  hour  at 
a  time  and  then  return  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of 
merry,  rollicking  children. 

By  showing  the  natives  that  we  did  not  fear 
them,  we  won  their  confidence  and  I  think  we 
soon  had  some  real  friends  among  them.  Among 
these  was  Orgeh,  a  trusted  officer  of  Areh,  who 
was  famous  both  as  a  warrior  and  a  hunter.  He 
showed  his  confidence  in  us  by  giving  his 
daughter  to  my  wife  to  be  instructed  by  her  and 
to  be  her  waiting  maid.  Arch's  chief  messenger, 
also,  gave  us  a  little  son  and  a  little  daughter  to 
be  educated.  To  these  Areh  added  one  of  his 
own  children,  a  boy  about  eight  or  ten  years 
old,  requesting  us  at  the  time  to  instruct  him  as 
if  he  were  the  son  of  a  white  man.  We  did  not 
try  to  understand  the  enigmatical  conduct  of 
these  three  men,  but  prayerfully  tried  to  be 
faithful  to  the  trust  which  God  in  His  providence 
had  committed  to  us.  At  night,  we  placed 
these  children  in  the  care  of  the  wife  of  one  of 
the  interpreters.  In  the  day,  they  went  where 
they  pleased  inside  of  the  mission  walls.  They 
were  much  entertainment  for  us,  and  Orgeh's 
daughter  was  exceedingly  useful  to  my  wife. 

From  these  children  we  learned  the  language, 

82 


Life  and  Language 

for  they  spoke  it  more  plainly  than  the  older 
people  did.  In  trying  to  learn  their  language  and 
to  teach  them  ours,  we  sometimes  had  quite  a 
gay  time.  In  the  Yoruba  language  every  word 
terminates  with  a  vowel  sound,  as,  Jamesee  in- 
stead of  James,  Jacobu  instead  of  Jacob,  Jesu  in- 
stead of  Jesus,  and  so  on.  We,  in  turn,  had 
much  trouble  in  putting  the  accent  on  the  right 
syllable.  One  morning  at  breakfast,  the  children 
were  convulsed  with  laughter  by  my  wife  saying 
that  there  was  a  horse  in  her  cup  of  coffee.  The 
word  for  horse  and  the  word  for/y  is  the  same, 
excepting  that  the  accent  is  on  the  first  syllable 
in  one  case,  and  on  the  second,  in  the  other  case. 
This  made  a  visiting  missionary  tell  of  one 
incident  in  his  experience.  Soon  after  he  com- 
menced preaching  without  the  aid  of  an  in- 
terpreter, a  number  of  the  converts  came  to 
condole  with  him  on  account  of  his  feeble 
health.  After  he  had  recovered  from  his  sur- 
prise, he  found  out  that  instead  of  commencing 
his  sermon  with  the  words,  "My  dear  friends," 
he  had  been  saying  every  Sunday  morning,  "I 
am  very  tired."  The  two  expressions  are  the 
same  excepting  for  the  accent. 

In  reducing  the  Yoruban  language  to  writing, 
Crowther  greatly    diminished  the    size  of   the 

83 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

words  by  modifying  the  Roman  alphabet  and 
also  by  giving  the  Roman  rather  than  the  Eng- 
lish sound  to  some  of  the  letters.  For  instance 
Ejahyay  is  written  Ijaye;  Awyaw,  Oyo;  Og- 
bomishaw,  Ogbomiso;  Ebaddan,  Ibadan;  Ejay- 
boo,  Ijabu;  ekkaw,  eko;  and  so  on.  The  ex- 
pression, "Be  kawlaw  bah  koo,  adieh  ko  soo- 
koon"  would  be  written  "  Bi  kolo  ba  ku  adie  ko 
sukun."  This  was  a  wise  expedient  to  reduce 
the  size  of  the  Bible. 

The  language  is  very  rich  in  salutations,  there 
being  one  for  almost  every  conceivable  occasion, 
special  words  being  added  to  the  common  term 
Ahu.  As  the  language  is  made  up  largely  of 
vowel  sounds,  these  salutations,  especially  in  the 
mouths  of  women  and  children,  are  very  mu- 
sical, for  they  often  prolonged  euphonious 
sounds  in  a  way  very  pleasing  to  the  ear. 

This  abundance  of  salutations  in  the  language 
is  only  the  enforced  expression  of  their  persistent 
adherence  to  all  spoken  forms  of  politeness. 
Even  strangers  rarely  pass  each  other  without 
exchanging  salutations.  When  the  rank  of  each 
is  known,  the  superior  usually  salutes  first,  and 
when  the  disparity  of  the  position  is  great,  the 
inferior  usually  prostrates.  When  they  are  of 
the  same  rank  they  bow  low  and  use  the  same- 

84 


Life  and  Language 

salutation  whatever  that  may  be.  Young  people 
prostrate  themselves  to  the  aged  and  sons  to 
their  mothers  and  senior  female  relatives. 
Women  kneel  only,  and  it  is  done  very  grace- 
fully. All  forms  of  salutation  are  modified  by 
rank.  I  have  seen  old  women  kneel  to  boys 
because  the  latter  had  royal  blood  in  their  veins. 
The  aristocracy  are  very  proud  of  their  ancient 
lineage  and  keep  the  memory  of  it  before  the 
people  by  the  use  of  Agoons.  These  are  men 
fantastically  dressed  and  entirely  disguised  who 
speak  in  gutteral  tones  as  if  they  were  visitors 
from  the  dead.  These  claim  to  be  the  departed 
ancestors  of  the  man.  No  one  can  prove  to  the 
contrary  for  it  is  death  for  a  native  to  touch  one. 
One  man  in  Ejahyay  could  send  out  fifteen 
Agoons. 

At  that  time  there  was  a  singular  character  in 
Yoruba  who  was  not  required  to  prostrate  to 
any  one,  not  even  the  king.  He  was  called  the 
"Father  of  the  king,"  because  to  him  belonged 
the  prerogative  of  appointing  a  successor  to  a 
deceased  king.  It  was  said,  however,  that  he 
was  too  modest  to  avail  himself  of  his  special 
privileges,  and  that  there  was  often  an  amusing 
contest  between  him  and  King  Ardayloo  as  to 
which  should  secretly  creep  up  and  prostrate  first. 

85 


SUPERSTITIONS 

THE  market  of  Ejahyay  was  an  excellent  place 
in  which  to  observe  the  people  in  all  their  outer 
life,  but  one  could  get  very  little  idea  of  the 
misery  of  their  inner  life  by  what  he  saw  in  the 
noisy  and  apparently  happy  throngs  around  him 
there.  Hidden  in  the  recesses  of  their  secret  life 
are  many  hideous  spectres.  Prominent  among 
these  is  the  mental  unrest  which  constantly  tor- 
tures those  under  the  dominion  of  cruel  super- 
stitions. While  acknowledging  the  existence  of 
a  Supreme  Being  under  the  name  of  "Orlorun" 
(Possessor  of  Heaven),  they  declare  that  he  does 
not  concern  himself  about  his  creatures  on  earth, 
but  has  left  everything  in  the  hands  of  one 
whom  they  call  "Orisha."  But  Orisha,  they 
say,  is  not  willing  to  be  bothered  by  the  trifling 
affairs  of  men,  and  so  has  appointed  a  number 
of  inferior  deities  to  whom  men  may  come  in 
times  of  emergency.  They  believe,  also,  that 
the  spirits  of  the  dead  are  present  in  the  world, 
and  that  they  have  power  to  bring  evil  or  good 
to  people  in  this  world.  1  have  frequently  seen 


Superstitions 

the  living  praying  to  their  dead  friends  and  in- 
voking their  protection  and  blessing.  If  these 
friends  have  while  living  been  eminent  for  any 
cause,  sacrifices  are  also  offered  to  them  'as  well 
as  prayers.  Under  the  name  of  Ashu,  they 
worship  the  devil.  He  is  always  represented  by 
a  hideous  black  image.  In  this  case,  however, 
they  only  deprecate,  begging  the  fiend  not  to 
hurt  them  on  a  journey  or  in  an  enterprise.  Near 
the  landing  at  Abeokuta,  a  priestess  of  Ashu 
with  a  large  image  of  him,  sat  to  receive  the 
offerings  made  by  the  canoemen  as  they  were 
about  to  start  down  the  river.  As  they  think 
that  death  only  intensifies  the  evil  in  human 
nature  and  increases  the  power  of  malignant 
spirits  to  work  mischief,  they  live  in  constant 
dread  of  the  malice  of  invisible  enemies. 

The  most  terrible  of  their  inferior  deities  is 
Shango,  god  of  thunder  and  fire.  They  say  that 
he  was  once  a  man,  but  being  too  wicked  to  live 
he  was  taken  up  to  heaven  and  made  the  god  of 
fire.  The  special  devotees  of  this  god  are  known 
by  a  tuft  of  hair  allowed  to  remain  in  the  place 
of  an  Indian's  scalp-lock.  When  lightning 
strikes  a  house,  to  them  is  granted  the  especial 
privilege  of  seizing  any  chicken,  sheep,  goat  or 

hog  that  may  be  found  in  the  street  at  the  time 
87 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

The  people  have  learned  to  keep  these  animals 
shut  up  during  a  serious  thunderstorm,  for  when 
thus  taken,  they  are  to  be  offered  at  once  in  sacri- 
fice to  Shango.  In  the  dread  of  his  attributes, 
the  next  in  importance  is  Oro.  During  my  two 
years  residence  in  Abeokuta,  the  town  was  fre- 
quently given  to  Oro,  and  on  these  occasions 
malefactors  were  punished  and  political  matters 
of  importance  were  transacted.  The  voice  of 
Oro  was  frequently  heard  in  the  streets  after 
dark.  It  began  in  a  low  moan,  then  rose  to  a 
kind  of  scream  and  then  sank  into  a  moan.  This 
noise  was  made  by  whirling  a  flat  stick,  but  it 
was  a  capital  crime  for  any  one  to  intimate  as 
much.  It  was  a  capital  crime,  also,  for  any 
woman  to  remain  on  the  streets  after  the  voice 
of  Oro  was  heard  at  any  time. 

Another  inferior  deity  is  Efa.  He  is  the  god  of 
secrets  and  is  represented  by  a  dove  standing  on 
a  wooden  plate  on  the  margin  of  which  is  carved 
a  single  eye.  All  devotees  of  that  god  carry  six- 
teen consecrated  palm-nuts.  The  priest  takes 
these  nuts  and  puts  them  into  a  wooden  urn. 
He  then  takes  a  number  at  random  and  scatters 
them  at  random  on  a  board  covered  with  wood 
dust  and  marked  into  small  squares.  From  the 

position  that  the  palm-nuts  take  on  the  board, 
88 


Superstitions 

the  priest  pretends  to  find  out  what  kind  of  sacri- 
fice Efa  demands.  This  ceremony  is  repeated  to 
find  out  if  a  chicken  or  something  else  must  not 
be  added  to  the  first  thing  to  be  offered  as  a  sac- 
rifice. The  priest  in  the  meantime  talks  to  the 
person  consulting  the  oracle  and  finds  out  pretty 
well  what  kind  of  answer  is  desired.  Some- 
times the  applicant  wishes  him  to  interpret  a 
dream  or  to  assist  him  in  a  business  or  a  matri- 
monial enterprise.  Priests  of  Efa  are  very  nu- 
merous and  they  rob  the  people  of  much  of  their 
income. 

Ogun,  the  god  of  war,  is  fitly  represented  by 
an  iron  bar.  To  him  human  sacrifices  are  some- 
times offered.  One  of  these  dreadful  scenes  I 
was  forced  to  witness,  and  a  description  of  it  is 
given  in  another  place.  There  are  also  gods  of 
the  farms,  of  the  house,  of  the  family,  of  the 
city,  and  of  many  other  things.  They  offer  sac- 
rifices to  streams,  to  trees,  to  birds,  to  snakes,  to 
rocks  and  to  other  objects,  animate  and  inani- 
mate. They  claim  that  they  are  not  rendering 
worship  to  these  objects,  but  to  the  deity  therein 
enshrined.  By  striking  a  hatchet  into  a  tree  near 
the  walls  of  Abeokuta,  I  so  excited  the  people 
that  I  found  it  difficult  to  appease  them.  The 
tree  was  an  object  of  worship  and  at  its  foot  was 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

a  rock  used  as  an  altar.  On  another  occasion, 
the  people  prostrated  themselves  in  worship  be- 
fore an  immense  python  snake  that  appeared  on 
the  great  central  rock  of  the  city.  They  believed 
that  the  tutelary  deity  of  the  city  had  assumed 
that  form  and  taken  up  his  abode  under  the  rock, 
that  he  might  look  after  their  welfare.  As  show- 
ing how  their  dark  imaginations  multiply  terrors 
for  them,  I  mention  that  they  believe  a  certain 
night  bird  which  has  a  dismal  croak  to  be  an  evil 
spirit  who  has  chosen  that  form  more  effectively 
to  approach  them.  Whenever  they  hear  one  of 
these  birds  near  their  houses  at  night,  believing 
its  presence  betokens  some  approaching  calamity, 
they  are  tortured  by  anxiety  and  fear  until  some 
new  fear  distracts  their  attention. 

It  is  impossible  for  rest  to  find  a  home  in 
minds  so  filled  with  spiritual  darkness  and  name- 
less terrors.  In  attempting  to  break  off  the 
shackles  of  superstition  from  their  benighted 
souls,  I  would  often  be  amazed  to  find  how  com- 
pletely idolatry  had  mastered  their  every  idea. 
For  instance,  a  young  man  expecting  to  go  to 
war  boasted  that  he  wore  over  his  vest  a  coat  of 
mail  that  no  bullet  could  penetrate.  It  was  made 
of  shells  which  were  easily  broken  and  some 
"  medicine  man"  had  swindled  him  into  paying 

90 


Superstitions 

a  large  sum  of  money  for  it.  After  he  had 
swaggered  a  while,  I  told  him  that  I  had  a  gun 
which  could  shoot  through  his  "  medicine."  He 
defiantly  challenged  me  to  shoot  at  him  at  short 
range.  After  some  argument,  he  was  persuaded 
to  take  it  off  and  let  the  interpreter  shoot  at  that 
only.  When  the  smoke  of  the  gun  cleared  away, 
the  shells  were,  of  course,  found  to  be  com- 
pletely shattered.  He  immediately  fell  at  the 
feet  of  the  interpreter  and  worshipped  him,  beg- 
ging him  at  the  same  time  to  give  him  some  of 
his  "strong  medicine."  The  expedient  which 
was  intended  to  convince  him  of  his  error 
seemed  only  to  confirm  him  in  it. 

Their  belief  in  the  malice  and  power  of  Shango 
so  dominates  their  thoughts,  that  the  most  thiev- 
ish among  them  will  not  touch  anything  which 
is  protected  by  the  symbol  of  Shango's  power. 
People  on  the  farms  often  expose  for  sale  by 
the  highways  fruits  and  vegetables  while  the 
owners  are  far  away  at  work.  The  price  of  the 
articles  is  indicated  by  pebbles  lying  near,  and 
over  the  whole  is  an  erect  stick  with  a  bunch  of 
dried  grass  tied  to  the  end.  The  natives  believe 
that  if  any  one  should  dare  to  take  anything 
which  is  thus  protected,  the  angry  god  will  im- 
mediately compel  some  one  to  burn  his  house  or 

91 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

to  inflict  some  worse  injury  on  him.  Shango 
does  not  put  things  off  very  long,  and  for  this 
reason  he  is  dreaded  the  more. 

About  six  months  after  my  arrival  in  Ejahyay, 
while  I  was  standing  at  the  gate  of  the  mission 
premises,  I  saw  a  little  boy,  said  to  be  possessed 
by  the  spirit  of  Shango,  issue  from  a  compound 
near  the  mission  chapel.  He  was  soon  followed 
by  a  crowd  of  people,  old  and  young,  piteously 
beseeching  him  to  spare  them.  As  some  of  these 
people  were  frequent  visitors  at  the  mission 
house  and  attendants  on  the  chapel  services,  I 
thought  I  ought  to  hasten  and  see  what  was  the 
matter.  Just  as  I  came  up,  the  boy,  whose  dis- 
torted and  scowling  countenance  is  still  vividly 
impressed  on  my  memory,  lighted  a  torch  of 
dried  grass  at  a  fire  where  a  woman  had  been 
cooking  and  started  back  with  the  flaming  grass 
toward  the  door  of  the  compound  from  which 
he  had  come.  The  crowd  followed  and  with 
extended  hands  implored  him  to  have  mercy  on 
them  and  not  to  burn  their  house. 

"What  will  you  give  me?  What  will  you 
give  me  ?  "  shouted  the  little  fiend. 

"I'll  give  you  something,  you  little  imp  of 
Satan,"  I  yelled,  as  I  darted  at  him  and  tried  to 
seize  him  by  his  Shango  tuft. 

92 


Superstitions 

When  he  looked  up  and  saw  the  white  man 
glaring  at  him  so  ferociously,  the  demoniacal  ex- 
pression of  his  countenance  immediately  changed 
to  one  of  abject  terror.  He  threw  down  his 
torch  and  fled  with  all  his  might,  hotly  pursued 
by  one  greater  than  Shango  ;  but  he  slipped 
through  a  hole  in  a  wall  and  I  failed  to  capture 
him.  When  I  turned  around  expecting  to  hear 
expressions  of  gratitude  from  the  people  whose 
house  I  had  saved,  I  found  myself  facing  a  dan- 
gerous and  angry  mob.  They  denounced  me  for 
such  a  sacrilegious  act  and  hurled  at  me  the  most 
terrible  curses  known  to  them.  My  blood  was 
now  up,  too,  and  lifting  up  my  voice  above  the 
uproar  I  shouted, 

"  You  are  a  lot  of  fools.  If  Shango  is  a  god, 
he  does  not  need  you  to  fight  for  him.  Let  him 
fight  for  himself.  I  defy  him." 

I  could  now  speak  their  language  very  well 
and  they  understood  what  I  said.  They  con- 
tinued to  gesticulate  and  curse  a  little  longer,  and 
then  dispersed  without  doing  me  any  harm.  A 
mutilated  form  of  this  story  was  afterward  pub- 
lished in  England  in  which  it  was  stated  that  I 
dispossessed  Shango  with  a  rod.  If  this  had 
been  true,  I  should  not  have  lived  to  write  this 
true  account  of  the  affair. 

93 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

The  next  day,  I  went  to  see  the  old  bale  of  the 
threatened  compound  and  talked  to  him  about 
the  folly  of  believing  in  such  things.  He  seemed 
to  be  much  depressed  and  frightened,  and  pre- 
served a  profound  silence  during  my  whole  visit, 
only  saluting  when  I  came  and  when  I  went.  A 
few  days  after  this,  both  the  bale  and  the  little 
boy  suddenly  died,  being  evidently  assassinated 
by  poison.  Why  they  were  killed  and  by  whom, 
I  could  never  learn.  1  suspect,  however,  the 
little  boy  was  murdered  by  the  priests  of  Shango 
to  avoid  exposure,  and  that  the  old  bale  was 
murdered  to  frighten  the  people  away  from  the 
mission  chapel. 

Those  who  make  and  sell  amulets  claim  that 
they  are  security  against  all  kinds  of  evils.  They 
are  securely  protected  in  morocco  cords  and  bags, 
and  are  worn  around  the  waist  and  arms  or  sus- 
pended from  the  neck.  The  amulets  sometimes 
seen  on  the  persons  of  chiefs  and  rich  men  often 
represent  a  large  sum  in  native  currency.  Many 
lose  their  lives  by  trusting  too  implicitly  in  these 
"refuges  of  lies." 

Among  the  wicked  occult  arts  is  the  preparation 
of  poisons  to  be  used  in  assassinating,  and  those 
who  engage  in  this  business  have  many  custom- 
ers. Some  of  these  poisons  kill  slowly,  but  so 

94 


Superstitions 

surely  that  the  victims  cannot  prove  who  poi- 
soned them,  nor  when,  nor  how.  They  murder 
by  poison  because  in  this  way  they  can  more 
easily  escape  detection.  To  draw  even  a  little 
blood  in  times  of  peace  is  a  capital  crime.  There 
is  much  quarrelling  and  even  fighting  among  the 
women,  but  they  rap  each  other  over  the  shoul- 
ders with  the  palms  of  their  hands  in  such  a  way 
as  to  hurt  without  drawing  blood.  When  fight- 
ing, young  men  frequently  tap  each  other  over 
the  head  with  short  sticks  upon  which  little  iron 
rings  have  been  strung.  In  this  way  they  can 
knock  each  other  down  without  breaking  the 
scalp  and  drawing  blood.  One  morning  about 
light,  I  heard  some  people  shouting,  "  ehjeh ! 
ehjeh  !  "  (blood,  blood)  as  if  a  murder  had  been 
committed,  but  on  investigating,  found  that  a 
woman  had  drawn  a  little  blood  by  scratching 
the  face  of  a  man.  If  the  matter  had  not  been 
hushed  up  before  it  got  to  the  ears  of  Areh,  the 
offender  might  have  suffered  decapitation. 

I  do  not  remember  a  single  instance  in  which 
a  poisoner  was  detected  and  punished  by  the  au- 
thorities. People  might  be  suspected,  and  the 
fear  of  poisoning  would  sometimes  scatter  the 
people  of  a  compound,  but  legal  proof  was  gen- 
erally wanting.  Loud  lamentation  once  caused 

95 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

me  to  stop  at  the  house  of  an  acquaintance.  I 
found  the  bale  and  those  around  him  in  deep 
distress.  Two  of  his  sons  had  just  died  sud- 
denly and  he  was  in  dread  of  the  same  fate. 
Though  he  probably  suspected  the  murderer,  he 
dared  not  express  his  opinion  in  the  matter. 
There  were  several  dwellings  in  this  compound, 
but  in  a  few  days  I  found  it  deserted  and  as 
silent  as  the  grave.  Each  family  was  afraid  of 
the  others  and  had  sought  homes  in  other  com- 
pounds. 

Another  thing  that  adds  much  to  the  mental 
disquietude  of  the  people  is  a  firm  belief  in  the 
"evil  eye."  For  this  reason  they  often  avert 
their  eyes  when  a  stranger  looks  at  them.  When 
they  fear  that  some  one  has  smitten  them  with 
an  "evil  eye,"  the  rich  often  spend  large  sums 
of  money  in  buying  "medicine"  to  wash  their 
eyes.  I  once  knew  a  powerful  chief  to  start  up 
from  his  seat  and  flee  to  the  remotest  recesses  of 
his  vast  compound  because  his  eyes  had  acci- 
dentally met  the  black,  angry  eyes  of  a  mission- 
ary whom  he  had  wronged.  For  days,  he 
washed  his  eyes  with  the  most  powerful  "  med- 
icine "  to  break  the  wicked  spell. 

By  a  thoughtless  prank,  soon  after  coming  to 
Ejahyay  I  became  an  object  of  suspicion  to  the 

96 


Superstitions 

natives  as  a  person  having  an  "evil  eye."  De- 
sirous of  making  some  noctural  observations,  I 
concealed  a  lighted  "bull's-eye"  lantern  under  my 
rain  coat  and  went  out  into  the  town  one  very 
dark  night.  I  went  some  distance  before  I  was 
discovered  by  the  passing  people.  I  then  began 
to  return.  Sounds  behind  me  showed  that  I  was 
being  followed  by  a  large  crowd  and  when  I 
was  near  enough  to  the  mission  house  to  feel 
safe,  I  drew  the  lantern  from  my  bosom  and 
flashed  the  focused  rays  around  me.  They  all 
fell  back  as  if  shocked  and  then  the  still  night  air 
was  filled  with  the  sound  of  running  feet.  The 
next  morning  some  old  men,  looking  very  grave, 
called  to  see  Mr.  Phillips  on  special  business. 
While  waiting  for  him  to  come  in,  one  of  them 
said  to  another  in  a  low  voice,  "Ojoo  booboo- 
roo."  This  means  "wicked  eye"  and  is  their 
expression  for  "evil  eye."  When  Mr.  Phillips  en- 
tered, they  informed  him  that  the  night  before  I 
had  taken  fire  out  of  my  breast  and  thrown  it  at 
the  people.  I  was  somewhat  disturbed  at  this 
serious  turn  of  affairs  and  at  once  brought  out 
the  lantern  and  showed  them  how  I  used  it. 
They  were  greatly  surprised  and  seemed  satisfied, 
but  it  was  sometime  before  the  people  stopped 
averting  their  eyes  whenever  I  looked  at  them. 

97 


XI 

POLYGAMY 

ANOTHER  skeleton  in  the  Yoruban  closet  is 
polygamy.  This  is  universal  and  so  is  the 
treachery,  strife  and  domestic  disorder  which  al- 
ways accompanies  it.  Yorubans  know  little  of 
that  happiness  that  is  found  in  every  place 
worthy  of  the  name  of  home.  A  girl  has  to  take 
the  husband  selected  for  her  by  her  legal  guar- 
dian, however  disagreeable  the  union  may  be  to 
her.  Betrothals  in  infancy  are  common,  but  the 
usual  age  of  betrothal  is  five  or  six  years.  It  is 
regarded  as  very  disgraceful  for  a  girl  to  speak  to 
her  betrothed  husband  until  the  day  of  marriage. 
There  is,  therefore,  no  room  for  courtship  or  for 
"love's  young  dream."  I  knew,  however,  of 
several  instances  of  elopement.  The  bride  had 
formed  a  romantic  attachment  for  a  young  man, 
and  had  fled  the  country  with  him  just  before 
the  day  of  marriage  with  her  betrothed  husband. 

There  is  much  closer  intimacy  between  a  hus- 
band and  the  wife  of  his  youth  than  any  con- 
tracted with  those  who  follow  her.  All  the  other 
wives  approach  her  with  reverence  and  respect- 

98 


Polygamy 

fully  address  her  as  "  Eyah  "  (mother  or  superior). 
As  long  as  she  lives,  she  alone  prepares  food  for 
her  lord  and  manages  all  his  domestic  affairs. 
The  Yorubans  are  not  insensible  to  the  evils  of 
polygamy  and  recognize  the  wisdom  of  having 
only  one  wife. 

Along  the  wall  in  our  reception-room  were 
benches  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors,  and 
it  was  seldom  some  of  these  were  not  occupied 
during  the  day.  Among  the  callers  one  day  was 
a  young  man  unusually  dignified  and  quiet.  His 
countenance  was  much  cast  down.  My  wife 
was  not  very  well  and  was  reclining  on  a  lounge 
while  I  was  holding  her  hand.  The  young  man 
sadly  regarded  us  for  a  while  and  then  said  with 
much  emphasis: 

"White  man,  you  are  right." 

"How?"  said  I. 

"In  having  only  one  wife,"  said  he. 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  " 

"Well,"  said  he,  "  one  year  ago,  I  took  a  bride 
and  I  was  happy  with  her;  but  two  months  ago, 
like  a  fool,  I  took  another  wife,  and  I  have  had 
no  peace  since." 

It  was  with  some  difficulty  I  could  suppress  a 
smile  while  I  condoled  with  him  on  his  sad  fate. 
But  a  man's  position  and  importance  here  are 

99 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

estimated  by  the  number  of  his  wives  and  the 
men  seem  willing  to  make  almost  any  sacrifice 
for  a  little  fictitious  notoriety.  This  young  man's 
unhappiness  was  not  caused  by  strife  between 
himself  and  his  wives,  but  by  the  strife  between 
his  wives  on  account  of  jealousy. 

Troubles  about  their  children  and  their  earthly 
possessions  are  also  sources  of  misunderstanding. 
In  passing  a  compound,  I  would  sometimes  hear 
quarrelling  among  the  women,  then  the  voice  of 
an  angry  man,  then  something  like  blows  with  a 
rod.  Everybody  from  the  bale  down  would  put 
on  "  company  manners  "  as  soon  as  I  entered  and 
1  could  not  tell  what  had  taken  place;  but  my  in- 
terpreter would  afterward  explain  that  some  hus- 
band had  given  his  wives  a  whipping  to  stop  a 
childish  and  silly  brawl  over  some  trifle.  They 
are  very  much  like  children  and  do  not  bear 
malice  as  a  general  thing  when  they  have  been 
punished  by  their  lords  for  bad  behavior.  But 
the  husband  cannot  always  trust  them,  especially 
when  they  are  of  other  nationalities  than  his 
own. 

The  poisoning  of  the  husband  by  the  wife  for 
some  cause  is  not  infrequent.  One  of  my  ac- 
quaintances, an  old  man,  bought  a  young  wife  in 

the  market.     Now  this  captive  maiden   had  a 
ico 


Polygamy 

lover  in  her  own  country  who  had  followed  her 
to  Ejahyay,  hoping  to  be  able  to  redeem  her,  and 
the  two  met  in  the  market-place  after  the  girl 
had  become  the  wife  of  the  old  man.  It  was 
quickly  arranged  that  the  girl  should  poison  her 
husband,  the  young  man  providing  the  material. 
But  not  being  an  adept,  the  girl  stirred  the  poison 
into  the  old  man's  dish  of  "  palaver  sauce"  with 
her  finger  and  in  this  way  was  herself  fatally 
poisoned.  The  old  man  recovered  sufficiently  to 
come  to  see  me  and  get  relief.  I  went  to  see  him 
once,  but  he  died  in  about  a  year,  his  death  being 
evidently  hastened  by  this  attempt  on  his  life. 
The  girl  got  more  of  the  poison  than  he  did  and 
lived  only  a  few  hours,  making  a  full  confession 
of  her  guilt.  Her  partner  in  guilt  escaped  in 
some  way  to  his  own  country.  The  old  man 
never  mentioned  the  name  of  either  without  a 
dreadful  imprecation. 

But  I  would  not  leave  the  impression  that  there 
are  no  cheerful  scenes  in  a  compound.  Where 
there  are  so  many  children,  there  must  be  fun  and 
merriment.  The  women  also  are  vivacious,  sen- 
sitive, and  sympathetic. 

For  the  purpose  of  getting  acquainted  with  the 
people,  of  winning  their  confidence,  and  of  in- 
structing them  in  the  truths  of  Christianity,  I 
101 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

visited  them  in  their  homes  whenever  I  was  well 
enough  to  do  so.  Generally  my  reception  was 
polite,  but  sometimes  I  would  get  into  a  house 
where  the  people  did  not  conceal  their  dislike  for 
the  innovations  of  civilization  and  of  Christianity. 
The  reader  may  imagine  me  surrounded  by  a 
crowd  of  men,  women  and  children,  sitting  on  a 
grass  mat  in  a  low  piazza  of  a  native  compound. 
Sheep,  goats,  chickens,  pigs  and  dogs  are  run- 
ning around  everywhere.  After  calling  for  the 
bale  and  exchanging  the  ordinary  salutations  with 
him,  I  request  permission  to  "  sawraw  Orloroon," 
that  is,  "talk  the  word  of  God."  This  being 
permitted,  for  courtesy's  sake  I  address  myself  to 
the  bale,  though  it  is  understood  that  I  am  talk- 
ing to  all  within  the  sound  of  my  voice.  The 
greater  number  pretend  to  listen,  but  I  am 
frequently  interrupted  by  the  children  who, 
while  pressing  around  to  hear  and  to  see,  manage 
to  get  up  a  dispute  among  themselves.  Then 
about  half  of  the  grown  people  reprove  the  little 
offenders  while  the  remainder  try  to  explain  the 
cause  of  the  trouble.  Things  being  quiet,  I  get 
along  very  well  for  five  minutes  or  less,  when  I 
am  stopped  by  the  yell  of  a  woman  who  has  de- 
tected a  thievish  goat,  sheep  or  dog  taking  some- 
thing from  her  market  calabash.  The  rogue 
102 


Polygamy 

having  received  a  sound  thrashing  and  a  noisy 
berating,  order  is  again  restored.  Other  similar 
disturbances  may  occur  but  the  people  are  so  ac- 
customed to  this  state  of  things  that  any  atten- 
tion which  they  may  be  giving  to  the  speaker,  is 
not  long  distracted.  Sometimes  after  I  have  fin- 
ished talking,  one  of  them  in  compliment  to  me, 
tries  to  explain  my  teaching  to  the  rest  of  the 
company.  These  pretend  to  be  much  pleased. 
One  says,  "It  is  good";  another,  "It  is  true"; 
and  still  another,  "We  will  believe." 

When  I  leave,  the  bale  and  some  of  the  women 
and  all  of  the  children,  accompany  me  to  the 
door  and  there  take  leave  of  me  with  many  kind 
wishes,  and  the  children  shout  their  adieus  as 
long  as  I  am  in  sight.  Often  in  my  walks  and 
visits,  the  children  would  meet  me  with  shouts 
of  childish  glee,  and  seizing  my  hands  or  cling- 
ing around  my  knees,  would  give  expression  to 
the  innocent  confidence  peculiar  to  their  tender 
age.  Sometimes  when  my  wife's  duties  would 
permit  her  to  walk  out  into  the  town  with  me, 
little  children  would  cling  to  her  skirts  until  we 
entered  our  house,  and  then  they  would  tease  her 
with  questions  and  entertain  her  with  their 
prattle  until  it  was  time  for  them  to  go  home. 

When  the  bale  or  some  other  "  headman  "  was 

103 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

absent  from  the  compound  the  women  frequently 
declined  to  hear  me,  but  generally  they  would 
consent  to  quit  work  a  little  while  and  listen  to 
me.  When,  however,  I  would  begin  to  talk, 
they,  too,  would  begin.  After  a  few  minutes 
one  of  them  would  try  to  explain  to  the  other 
what  I  was  saying,  and  they  would  all  chatter 
together  like  a  flock  of  magpies.  At  first,  I  did 
not  know  what  to  do,  but  after  I  understood 
their  habits  better  I  would  quietly  but  firmly  tell 
them  that  if  they  wished  me  to  talk  they  must 
be  silent.  After  this  they  would  interrupt  me 
now  and  then  with  exclamations  only. 

Their  priests  take  tribute  from  all  of  them, 
and  until  they  understood  that  we  would  not 
accept  a  present,  they  always  offered  one  when  I 
visited  them.  This  was  often  some  cola-nuts, 
presented  in  their  best  dish  with  much  ceremony. 
These  are  so  highly  esteemed  among  them  that 
they  have  a  proverb  which  says,  "Anger  draws 
arrows  from  the  quiver;  good  words  draw  cola- 
nuts  from  the  bag." 

Polygamy  not  only  destroys  that  unity  which 
is  essential  to  a  home,  but  also  undermines  all 
domestic  affection.  When  my  wife  was  very  ill 
on  one  occasion,  a  visitor  expressed  great  sur- 
prise because  I  was  so  much  concerned  about  the 

104 


Polygamy 

matter,  and  asked  if  that  one  was  the  only  wife 
I  had.  The  natural  love  which  God  has  put  into 
the  heart  of  the  mother  for  her  offspring,  seems 
to  be  about  the  only  silver  lining  to  this  dense 
cloud.  The  memory  of  this  awakes  chords  in 
their  souls  that  nothing  else  can.  One  night  I 
heard  a  little  orphan  boy  telling  of  a  dream  to  a 
playmate.  He  said  that  he  saw  heaven  open  and 
his  mother  looking  down  at  him  from  above. 
She  told  him  that  she  was  watching  over  him 
every  day  and  then  she  let  down  something  for 
him  to  eat.  Then  the  heavens  closed  again  and 
he  awakened,  crying  for  her  to  come  back  to 
him.  It  was  plain  that  this  touching  dream  had 
voiced  the  memory  of  a  mother's  love. 

The  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  cure  for 
the  ills  which  afflict  the  victims  of  such  spiritual 
darkness.  While  I  was  in  Africa  many  illus- 
trations of  this  truth  came  under  my  observation. 
Two  cases  in  Ejahyay  are  worthy  of  special 
notice.  Among  the  converts  here  were  two 
women  of  exalted  Christian  character,  named 
Ofeekee  and  Osoontala.  Because  the  latter  was 
so  much  like  Mary  of  Bethany  in  character,  her 
name  had  been  changed  to  that  of  the  gentle 
sister  of  Lazarus.  There  is  no  reason  to  think 
that,  before  their  conversion,  they  were  different 

105 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

from  the  average  heathen  women  around  them ; 
but  when  I  arrived  in  Ejahyay,  they  were  already 
distinguished  for  every  Christian  virtue.  They 
often  endured  the  most  bitter  persecution  with- 
out a  murmur,  supporting  themselves  by  their 
implicit  faith  in  the  promises  of  God.  This  was 
all  to  which  we  could  point  them,  for  Areh,  as  I 
have  before  said,  declined  to  interfere.  They 
came  at  stated  times  and,  repeating  the  words 
after  some  one,  would  commit  whole  chapters  of 
the  Bible  to  memory.  When  discouraged,  they 
would  strengthen  their  faith  by  repeating  pas- 
sages of  Holy  Scripture  to  themselves.  I  asked 
Mary  if  she  did  not  feel  afraid  that  the  people  in 
her  house  would  poison  her. 

"The  Lord  is  my  helper:  1  will  not  fear  what 
man  can  do  unto  me,"  she  replied. 

When  Ofeekee  would  not  eat  sacrifice  at  the 
family  festivals  nor  permit  her  little  son  to  par- 
take, her  husband  would  often  flog  her  most 
cruelly.  One  Lord's  day  we  noticed  an  ex- 
pression of  pain  on  her  countenance  and  en- 
quired what  was  the  matter.  She  said  nothing, 
but  merely  lifted  her  shoulder  cloth  and  ex- 
hibited the  lacerated  flesh.  Her  husband  had 
just  beaten  her. 

Mary's  husband  simply  ignored  her,  and  let 

1C6 


Polygamy 

others  persecute  and  annoy  her  without  noticing 
them.  When  he  was  killed  during  the  bloody 
siege  of  Ejahyay  (of  which  I  shall  tell  farther  on) 
Mary  had  an  opportunity  to  show  the  difference 
between  a  Christian  and  a  heathen.  She  ob- 
tained permission  to  live  with  her  little  son  in 
the  native  compound  connected  with  the  mission 
premises.  After  she  had  been  there  several 
months,  she  learned  that  a  young  man  who  had 
been  a  ringleader  in  everything  devised  for  her 
annoyance,  was  lying,  desperately  wounded  and 
entirely  deserted,  in  the  compound  of  which  she 
had  been  an  inmate.  Getting  permission  from 
Mr.  Phillips  she  had  her  enemy  brought  to  that 
part  of  our  compound  in  which  she  was  living 
and  nursed  him  back  to  life  as  if  he  were  her 
own  son.  If  I  had  not  already  become  a  Chris- 
tian, the  wonderful  change  in  the  character  of 
these  two  converts  from  paganism,  would  have 
led  me  to  become  a  disciple. 


107 


XII 

SOME  AFRICAN  MALADIES 

ABOUT  one  month  after  arriving  in  the  country 
I  had  my  first  ague.  There  is  a  great  shaking  ac- 
companied by  severe  pains  in  back  and  limbs; 
this  is  followed  by  a  burning  fever  and  a  head- 
ache so  severe  sometimes  as  to  make  the  patient 
delirious — during  the  following  night.  If,  by  a 
free  use  of  proper  remedies,  the  return  of  the 
ague  can  be  prevented  on  the  third  day,  the 
patient  is  safe  and  with  the  exercise  of  proper 
precaution,  will  be  up  in  a  week.  If  the  chill  is 
not  broken,  the  case  becomes  more  and  more 
serious.  The  ague  will  recur  earlier  every  time 
it  is  repeated,  and  when  only  six  hours  intervene 
the  case  is  well-nigh  hopeless.  Some  attacks  are 
so  violent  that  the  patient  becomes  unconscious 
at  once  and  dies  in  a  few  hours.  In  this  way 
Mrs.  Phillips  had  died,  except  that  she  was  de- 
lirious only. 

My  wife  and  I  got  on  very  well  for  the  first 
seven  months.  We  were  generally  up  three 
weeks  out  of  the  four  and  we  fortunately  had 
our  agues  in  separate  weeks  so  that  one  of  us 

103 


Some  African  Maladies 

was  always  well  when  the  other  needed  a  nurse. 
In  the  eighth  month  my  chills  could  not  be 
broken  and  I  was  brought  to  the  door  of  the 
grave.  From  four  o'clock  one  afternoon  until 
light  next  morning  I  was  unconscious,  with  my 
life  hanging  by  a  thread.  In  Africa,  excitement 
often  made  my  wife  very  ill  and,  when  my  con- 
dition became  so  serious,  she  had  to  be  removed 
to  another  room,  and  was  soon  as  ill  as  1.  We 
both  extracted  from  Mr.  Phillips  a  promise  that 
if  either  was  found  to  be  dying,  we  should  be 
allowed  to  see  each  other  at  once.  One  day,  my 
interpreter  ran  into  my  room  and  attempted 
to  take  me  into  his  arms.  I  knew  what  this 
meant  and,  to  my  great  surprise,  I  rose  from  my 
bed  and  tottered  into  the  room  where  my  wife 
was.  I  found  her  just  recovering  from  uncon- 
sciousness. The  sight  of  my  face  soon  revived 
her  and  we  were  able  to  converse  for  a  while. 
The  excitement  of  meeting  under  the  circum- 
stances seemed  to  revive  us  both,  and  we  com- 
menced improving  from  that  day. 

Such  is  the  strange  character  of  this  disease 
that  often  a  change  of  scene,  the  sight  of  a  new 
face,  or  the  meeting  of  some  loved  one  from 
whom  we  have  been  long  parted,  will  do  more 
good  than  medicine.  When  very  sick,  even  to 

109 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

death,  my  wife  was  greatly  benefited  by  a  visit 
from  a  German  missionary  and  his  wife.  I  be- 
lieve the  visit  saved  her  life.  Mrs.  Townsend, 
the  wife  of  the  celebrated  missionary  of  that 
name,  seemed  to  be  hopelessly  ill,  but  was  taken 
at  her  request  to  a  grass-thatched  hut  in  the 
Abeokuta  farms — and  began  to  recover  from  the 
first  day.  In  a  few  weeks  she  was  as  well  as  usual. 
On  one  occasion,  I  had  no  energy  or  appetite, 
and  joined  an  English  missionary  in  the  same 
condition,  in  a  picnicking  excursion.  We  took 
along  what  we  supposed  would  be  an  ample 
supply  of  provisions  for  a  week.  We  were 
driven  home  by  hunger  at  the  end  of  three  days. 

All  white  people  who  go  to  this  part  of  Africa 
should  expect  to  be  sick.  If  they  escape  ma- 
larial fever  they  will  meet  chronic  dysentery  and 
the  last  is  worse  than  the  first. 

When  visiting  among  the  people,  I  frequently 
found  myself  near  some  one  broken  out  with 
smallpox,  but  as  the  natives  showed  no  fear  of  the 
disease,  I  thought  I  ought  not.  Here  the  patient 
lies  in  the  open  air,  in  the  piazza  on  hard  mats. 
They  eat  sparingly,  drink  warm  water,  and  never 
touch  any  preparation  of  chicken.  The  disease 
is  allowed  to  run  its  course,  the  patient  enduring 

the   itching  as  best  he  can  and  breaking  the 
no 


Some  African  Maladies 

pustules  by  rolling  about  on  the  hard  grass  mat. 
Air,  a  hard  bed,  light  clothing  and  a  simple  diet 
generally  prevents  this  dreaded  disease  from  as- 
suming a  very  virulent  form  among  the  natives. 
In  our  own  home  only  did  I  see  it  in  its  worst 
form.  Our  cook,  a  Liberian  woman,  was  taken 
down  with  it  and  was  extremely  ill  for  many 
days.  When  she  recovered  her  face  was  like  a 
piece  of  perforated  paper.  Mr.  Phillips  was  then 
taken  down  but  he  had  been  vaccinated  in  his 
youth  and  his  case  was  not  quite  so  severe.  I 
followed  next  but  escaped  with  my  life  because 
I  had  been  vaccinated.  My  wife  nursed  every 
case,  but  escaped  entirely  though  she  remained 
with  me  day  and  night.  But  it  fell  to  her  lot  to 
have  the  "Guinea  worm,"  a  disease  she  dreaded 
as  much  as  she  did  the  smallpox.  The  natives, 
however,  did  not  abhor  it  as  they  did  smallpox 
for  one  of  their  curses  was  "  May  the  smallpox 
catch  you." 

None  of  us  escaped  the  boils  and  the  dreadful 
ulcers  which  sometimes  follow  attacks  of  mala- 
rial fever.  Once  forty  boils,  painful  in  the  ex- 
treme, bloomed  on  my  breast  at  one  and  the 
same  time.  The  ulcers  are  large  and  deep,  but 
not  so  painful.  They  often  leave  deep  scars. 

My  wife  continued  to  have  attacks  of  fever  as 
ill 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

long  as  she  remained  in  the  country,  but  I  seemed 
to  be  very  well  acclimated  after  the  first  year. 
But  I  enjoyed  advantages  in  the  way  of  recrea- 
tion that  my  wife  did  not.  One  of  these  was 
hunting.  This  leads  me  to  say  something  of  the 
fauna  of  this  part  of  Africa. 


112 


XIII 

HUNTING 

IN  the  scattered,  cultivated  spots,  five  miles 
beyond  Ejahyay,  there  was  plenty  of  game  of 
many  kinds,  but  my  favorites  were  a  species  of 
pheasant  about  the  size  of  a  small  hen,  called 
arkparro  by  the  natives,  and  the  guinea  fowl. 
In  its  wild  state,  the  guinea  is  much  larger,  es- 
pecially in  the  breast,  than  when  domesticated. 
It  is  also  more  palatable.  Antelopes  of  all  sizes 
abound.  They  range  from  the  size  of  a  hare  to  that 
of  an  ox.  Eagles,  immense  toucans,  hornbills, 
touracos,  cranes  and  other  large  birds  fly  about 
within  gunshot  all  the  time.  I  generally  found 
the  arkparrows  and  guineas  in  large  flocks 
feeding  in  the  farms.  Here  also  the  antelopes 
were  found,  but  their  flesh  tainted  so  quickly 
that  I  gave  them  little  attention. 

Leopards,  wild  boars  and  hyenas  are  hid  about 
in  the  grass,  and  elephants  are  sometimes  found 
in  these  clearings.  I  was  very  careful  not  to 
enter  any  place  where  I  had  reason  to  fear  a 
"  rogue  "  elephant  might  be  hid,  for  they  are  the 
most  dangerous  animals  now  in  the  world.  I 

113 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

had  no  desire  whatever  to  see  one.  Large 
python  snakes  have  their  homes  in  the  rocks  and 
make  paths  through  the  grass  leading  to  these 
dens.  The  natives  declare  that  there  is  a  very 
large  bird  like  an  ostrich  inhabiting  the  "bush" 
here.  I  failed  to  meet  with  a  specimen,  but 
from  the  description  they  gave  it  must  be  a 
species  of  cassowary.  Buffalo  abound  but  they 
prefer  the  larger  plains  near  the  Niger.  They 
seem  to  be  nothing  but  wild  cattle. 

The  African  wolf,  a  species  of  hyena,  going  in 
large  droves,  are  known  here.  The  natives  dread 
them  very  much.  Ejahyay  received  one  visit 
from  them  in  its  early  history.  When  the  howl- 
ing was  heard  in  the  distance,  the  gates  of  the 
houses  were  closed  and  the  people  did  not  go 
into  the  streets  again  until  all  the  wolves  had 
passed  through.  Some  of  the  beasts  are  said  to 
have  climbed  over  the  roofs  of  the  houses  and 
jumped  down  into  the  compounds,  so  ravenous 
were  they.  Among  the  smaller  animals,  I  met 
with  some  surprises.  Of  these,  one  was  a  grey 
squirrel  exactly  like  the  small  mountain  squirrels 
found  on  top  of  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains  of 
Virginia. 

Though  birds  of  all  sizes  are  so  numerous,  one 
hears  little  "music  in  the  air."  Some  scream, 

114 


Hunting 

some  chatter,  some  croak,  and  some  bray  like 
donkeys.  Only  a  few  modestly  attired  little  ones 
really  sing.  There  was  one  sound,  however, 
that  always  had  music  for  my  ear.  That  was 
the  familiar  cry  of  the  guinea  fowls  from  the 
tops  of  the  palm  trees  as  I  galloped  home  in  the 
gloaming.  As  a  magic  wand,  the  sound  would 
often  call  up  memories  of  childhood's  home. 

The  gorgeousness  of  the  plumage  of  many  of 
the  larger  birds,  especially  of  the  cranes  and 
touracos,  is  indescribable.  One  who  has  seen  a 
touraco  darting  up  and  down  the  limbs  of  a  tree, 
will  not  soon  forget  the  beautiful  vision.  Once, 
there  appeared  over  me  two  cranes  clothed  in  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow,  and  I  brought  them 
down  with  a  single  shot.  They  were  about 
five  feet  tall,  had  gold-colored  crests  and  much 
resembled  the  Balearic  species,  only  they  were 
more  gorgeous  in  plumage. 

Some  species  of  the  guinea  fowl  were  also 
very  beautiful.  One  of  these  has  a  large  black 
plume  and  another  has  a  spray  of  gold  running 
from  the  root  of  the  bill  back  over  the  middle  of 
the  head  to  the  neck.  These  last  are  blue-black 
and  live  only  in  the  forest.  The  former  are  of 
the  color  of  the  ordinary  guinea,  but  they  are 
much  larger.  The  little  parroquets  were  also  very 

115 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

beautiful.  We  had  some  of  these  for  pets  once, 
but  the  "  drivers"  killed  them  all  in  one  night. 

I  shot  but  one  monkey.  This  was  a  large 
black  one  which  acted  in  such  a  way  that  I 
thought  it  safest  to  fire  on  it ;  but  when  my  wife 
saw  it,  she  begged  me  not  to  shoot  another. 
While  its  head  was  hanging  down  over  the 
back  of  a  native  boy,  it  looked  for  all  the  world 
like  a  human  baby.  They  are  all  so  troublesome, 
however,  that  I  came  very  near  shooting  another 
soon  after.  I  noticed  that  a  large  animal  of 
tawny  color  was  stealthily  following  me  through 
the  grass  and  I  took  a  position  and  prepared  to 
shoot  it  when  it  showed  itself.  As  my  gun  was 
charged  with  ball,  I  did  not  feel  alarmed.  When 
it  did  appear  it  was  a  large  monkey  following 
me  through  curiosity.  I  raised  my  gun  to  fire 
but  it  appeared  to  be  so  harmless  that  I  could 
not  pull  the  trigger.  After  regarding  me  with 
averted  face  for  a  while,  it  slunk  away  without 
the  slightest  show  of  hostility. 

I  really  had  no  hunting  adventures  that  could 
be  called  dangerous.  Once  when  creeping 
through  the  high  grass  I  came  suddenly  upon  a 
large  python.  I  retired.  I  returned  to  the  spot 
after  getting  sufficiently  composed  to  shoot  with 

good  aim,  but  it  was  gone.    The  sudden  appari- 
116 


Hunting 

tion  of  one  of  these  great  constrictors  is  a  very  dis- 
concerting thing.  It  might  not  have  hurt  me,  but 
I  learned  not  to  put  too  much  confidence  in  any- 
thing here  in  its  native  wilds.  There  is  no  tell- 
ing what  humor  may  have  possession  of  it  when 
we  happen  to  meet. 

For  ordinary  shooting  in  this  part  of  Africa,  one 
need  not  be  a  walking  arsenal.  My  gun  was  of 
laminated  steel  and  was  made  to  carry  either 
shot  or  ball.  I  used  the  best  rifle  powder  and 
often  brought  down  game  with  heavy  shot  at 
most  astonishing  distances.  This  gun  was  of 
English  manufacture  and  cost  about  sixty  dollars 
in  London.  It  would  shoot  a  ball  with  wonder- 
ful accuracy  and  force,  and  1  believe  it  would 
have  killed  an  elephant  at  short  range,  but  I  am 
thankful  to  say  that  I  was  never  called  upon  to 
test  the  matter.  The  way  in  which  the  profes- 
sional native  hunters  kill  the  elephant  does  not 
require  a  specially  good  gun.  They  approach 
them  stealthily  by  paths  known  only  to  their 
fraternity  and  shoot  them  with  guns  charged 
with  poisoned  darts  or  bolts.  This  poison 
coagulates  the  blood  without  injuring  the  flesh. 
After  making  many  struggling  efforts  to  retain  its 
feet  (in  which  it  is  assisted  by  its  friends  in  the 

herd),  the  wounded   elephant  at  last  succumbs 
117 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

and  is  abandoned  by  the  rest  The  hunter 
escapes  by  a  secret  path  and  when  the  noise 
ceases,  he  returns  with  some  of  his  companions 
and  joyfully  takes  possession  of  his  gigantic 
game.  For  him,  its  tusks,  its  hide  and  its  flesh 
constitute  a  small  fortune. 

In  hunting  the  leopard,  they  tie  a  kid  where  its 
pitiful,  baby-like  cries  may  be  heard  by  the 
prowling  beast.  This  sometimes  requires  quick 
work,  for  the  cunning  creature  will  often  take  the 
kid  at  a  single  bound  and  disappear  like  a  flash. 
Wild  boars  and  some  other  animals  of  chase,  are 
hunted  by  means  of  dogs  as  they  are  elsewhere. 
The  most  remarkable  way  of  taking  game  was 
that  practiced  by  Abodere,  a  son  of  Areh,  and  a 
reckless  young  man.  With  a  number  of  his  boon 
companions,  he  would  go  to  a  den  of  pythons. 
He  would  then  place  his  young  men  in  two  rows 
facing  each  other  on  each  side  of  the  mouth  of 
the  den.  Tying  a  strong  cord  to  both  his  feet 
and  leaving  instructions  to  one  of  his  followers  to 
pull  him  out  when  he  gave  the  signal  by  shaking 
his  foot,  he  would  crawl  into  the  den  of  pythons 
and  seize  the  tail  of  one  in  both  hands.  At  his 
signal  both  were  drawn  out  together  and  the 
snake  was  despatched  with  clubs.  The  natives 
declared  that  the  flesh  of  this  snake  is  white, 

118 


Hunting 

juicy  and  sweet,  and  for  this  reason  Abodere  ran 
so  much  risk  to  capture  them.  His  love  of  ad- 
venture, however,  was  the  real  cause. 

It  was  natural  that  we  should  try  to  enliven  our 
solitude  a  little  by  having  some  animal  pets,  but 
the  "drivers"  made  it  impossible  for  us  to  have 
any  that  had  to  be  confined  in  cages.  In  a  par- 
rot and  a  monkey  which  had  the  freedom  of  the 
premises,  we  found  some  pleasant  diversion. 
The  aptness  of  the  African  grey  parrot  for  quickly 
learning  to  imitate  any  sound,  greatly  surprised 
us.  My  baby  parrot  which  rejoiced  in  the  name 
of  Aryaykotor  (the  world  is  all  wrong)  learned  to 
imitate  the  singing  of  a  hen  and  the  cries  of  a 
distressed  puppy  in  a  few  days.  The  counterfeit 
was  so  complete  that  I  once  ran  to  the  rescue  of 
the  supposed  puppy  and  never  doubted  but  that 
our  old  hen  was  enjoying  herself  until  I  caught 
Polly  performing  the  hen  act.  But  in  the  midst 
of  her  useful  life  she  fell  among  thieves  and  we 
never  saw  her  again. 

Older  parrots  would  learn  to  repeat  short  sen- 
tences with  equal  facility.  To  one  of  these  its 
owner  said  one  day,  "  Why  don't  you  pray,  you 
rascal?"  A  few  mornings  after  this  while  its 
owner  was  praying  at  family  worship,  the  parrot 
suddenly  screamed,  "Why  don't  you  pray,  you 

119 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

rascal?"  After  this,  its  owner  was  more  careful 
in  speaking  to  his  pet. 

Monkeys  were  not  only  amusing  but  often  use- 
ful in  keeping  the  premises  clear  of  those  pests  of 
the  African  house — the  goats.  The  monkey 
would  leap  on  the  back  of  the  goat  and  ride  it, 
wildly  bleating  and  frantic  with  terror,  until  it 
escaped  from  the  yard.  If  the  goat  happened  to 
run  into  the  house,  then  "confusion  was  worse 
confounded."  Little  whiskered  fellows  about 
the  size  of  a  squirrel  which  could  be  carried  about 
on  the  shoulder  and  which  would  take  refuge  in  a 
side  pocket  when  frightened  was  the  favorite  of 
some,  but  the  ordinary  pet  monkey  was  about 
the  size  of  a  rabbit.  The  chimpanzee  is  a  too 
hideous  caricature  of  a  human  being  to  be  a 
pleasant  pet.  Their  actions  as  well  as  their  ap- 
pearance are  almost  human.  I  have  seen  them 
amuse  themselves  by  playing  with  native  children 
just  as  an  old  man  would. 

On  account  of  birds  of  prey,  we  obtained  little 
profit  from  our  poultry  yard.  Buzzards  waddled 
about  the  kitchen  door  and  acted  as  useful 
scavengers,  but  they  sometimes  devoured  young 
ducks  and  chickens.  Hawks  swarmed  over  the 
city  all  day,  darting  down  and  catching  up  any- 
thing they  could  seize,  even  from  the  calabashes 

120 


Hunting 

of  the  market  women.  I  could  not  frighten  them 
away  with  my  gun.  After  I  had  driven  them 
away  by  shooting  a  few,  they  would  return  in 
full  force  in  an  hour  or  two. 

A  species  of  crow  having  a  white  breast  were 
as  numerous  as  the  hawks  but  not  so  trouble- 
some. They  roosted  in  the  trees  of  the  town 
and  passed  the  day  in  the  farms.  Their  cawing 
in  the  early  morning  was  always  a  signal  that 
day  was  breaking  and  that  the  people  were  leav- 
ing for  the  farms.  The  natives  seemed  to  have 
a  superstitious  affection  for  them  and  the  crows, 
in  turn,  seemed  to  have  as  little  fear  of  man  as 
do  domestic  fowls. 


121 


XIV 

MENTAL    SOLITUDE 

DURING  our  first  year  in  Ejahyay,  things  were 
very  quiet,  excepting  when  a  sudden  conflagra- 
tion swept  over  the  city,  often  greatly  endanger- 
ing our  house.  But  while  we  were  reasonably 
comfortable  physically,  the  lack  of  social  privi- 
leges made  us  feel  very  lonely.  This  sense  of 
solitude  was  relieved  somewhat  every  two  weeks 
by  the  arrival  of  letters  from  home.  We  kept  a 
messenger  on  the  road  all  the  time.  The  mail 
reached  Lagos  every  two  weeks  and  it  took  our 
messenger  a  week  to  go  and  a  week  to  return. 
He  always  received  an  ovation  when  he  entered 
the  mission  yard  on  his  return.  I  took  my  wife 
to  Abeokuta  once,  but  I  found  that  on  account 
of  the  heat  and  fatigue,  she  received  more  harm 
than  good. 

At  no  time  while  we  were  in  Africa  did  we 
miss  the  comforts  of  material  civilization  as  much 
as  we  did  the  intellectual  privileges  enjoyed  in 
more  elevated  conditions  of  society.  The  cus- 
toms and  ideas  of  the  people  around  us  were 
either  too  cruel  or  too  novel  to  admit  of  any  in- 

122 


Mental  Solitude 

tellectual  congeniality  between  us.  Mentally  we 
were  thousands  of  years  apart,  and  this  sense  of 
loneliness  was  like  being  thirsty  in  the  midst  of  a 
briny  deep.  I  have  no  doubt  this  sense  of  deso- 
lation in  the  midst  of  teeming  thousands,  has 
overwhelmed  many  missionaries  in  the  midst  of 
careers  of  much  usefulness.  It  is  a  cross  that 
crushes  mortality  to  the  earth. 

Once  after  I  had  formed  a  kind  of  intimacy 
with  a  man  who  seemed  to  be  reasonably  kind- 
hearted,  some  of  his  ideas  so  shocked  me  that  I 
was  always  afraid  of  him  afterward.  It  is  a  cus- 
tom with  these  people  to  make  the  bale  of  any 
compound  in  which  an  insolvent  debtor  dies  pay 
the  debts  of  the  deceased.  When  any  insolvent 
debtor,  therefore,  is  found  to  be  very  ill  he  is 
taken  out  and  thrown  into  the  bushes  to  miser- 
ably perish.  They  know  that  this  is  very  cruel 
for  the  worst  curse  used  among  them  is,  "May 
you  die  in  the  bushes."  (Okoogbeh.)  On  one 
occasion  a  man  who  was  a  renegade  convert, 
was  brought  in  a  dying  condition  into  our  mis- 
sion yard.  He  was  an  insolvent  debtor  and  the 
bale  was  about  to  have  him  thrown  out,  when 
he  begged  to  be  brought  to  us.  We  received 
him  of  course.  This  act  of  humanity  greatly  dis- 
gusted my  native  friend. 

123 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

"Why  don't  you  throw  him  into  the  bushes 
and  let  the  hyenas  eat  him?"  said  he,  his  eye 
gleaming  with  suppressed  ferocity. 

"I  am  not  strong  enough  to  carry  the  man," 
said  I,  jokingly. 

"Then  burn  him  with  hot  irons  and  make  him 
walk,"  replied  he. 

But  the  difference  in  our  habits  of  thought  was 
not  always  so  painful.  The  appearance  of  my 
wife  on  the  street  was  always  the  signal  for  the 
assembling  of  a  crowd  of  children  who  followed 
us  commenting  all  the  time  on  something  about 
our  dress  or  manners.  One  exclaimed,  "  Look 
at  the  cloth  !  Look  at  the  cloth  ! "  Another  (in 
a  sort  of  undertone)  "What  a  fool  the  white 
man  is.  He  cuts  his  clothes  all  up  into  little 
pieces  and  then  sews  them  up  again."  And  so 
on. 

Their  dress  and  many  of  their  customs  showed 
their  ancient  and  Eastern  origin,  and  what  I  saw 
and  heard  around  me  frequently  reminded  me  of 
scenes  and  incidents  described  in  the  Bible.  This 
novelty  was  by  no  means  displeasing,  but  rather 
added  to  the  interest  I  felt  in  these  people. 
Among  our  children  was  a  bright  little  lass  of 
copper  color.  She  had  a  copper  bracelet  on  her 
wrist  but  would  not  tell  us  what  it  meant.  One 

124 


Mental  Solitude 

day,  a  man  of  some  prominence  entered  the  gate 
of  the  compound  while  I  was  standing  in  the 
door  of  the  mission  house.  So  soon  as  this  little 
girl  saw  him,  she  fled  like  a  frightened  fawn  and 
I  was  nearly  overturned  in  her  effort  to  rush  into 
the  house.  When  I  enquired  with  some  heat 
why  he  had  frightened  the  child,  he  laughingly 
replied,  "That  is  my  little  wife,  white  man."  I 
then  learned  that  girls  were  betrothed  at  a  very 
tender  age  and  that,  from  the  day  of  the  be- 
trothal, they  were  regarded  as  married,  the  fact 
of  the  betrothal  being  indicated  by  a  bracelet  on 
the  wrist.  This  girl's  apparent  fright  was  caused 
by  the  fact  that  it  is  regarded  very  indelicate  for 
a  girl  to  speak  to  her  betrothed  husband  before 
they  are  married.  Sometimes,  in  passing  about 
the  streets,  I  would  see  a  little  girl  dart  suddenly 
away  as  if  greatly  frightened,  and  I  knew  that  it 
was  because  she  had  seen  her  future  husband 
approaching.  It  was  quite  amusing  to  see  the 
"mannish"  dignity  that  boys  sometimes  mani- 
fested when  they  saw  their  future  wives  flee 
from  their  august  presence. 

When  the  day  of  marriage  arrives,  the  bride, 
closely  veiled,  is  taken  to  the  house  of  her  hus- 
band. She  comes  without  resistance  because 
she  knows  that  if  she  does  not  do  so,  she  will 

125 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

be  brought  by  force.  If  she  comes  with  honor, 
adorned  with  jewels  and  with  handsome  cloths, 
she  marches  several  days  after  the  wedding  day 
through  the  streets.  Her  approach  is  heralded 
by.  music,  she  is  escorted  by  a  large  number  of 
maidens  and  receives  congratulations  and  pres- 
ents from  her  friends.  In  this  way  she  is  treated 
with  much  honor.  If  she  is  unworthy,  the  par- 
ents are  required  to  refund  the  whole  sum  ad- 
vanced in  betrothing  her,  and  the  partner  of  her 
infidelity,  if  he  is  discovered,  is  prosecuted  for 
adultery. 

A  messenger  always  carries  some  kind  of  staff 
as  his  credentials.  The  credentials  of  Arch's 
messenger  was  a  crook  of  brass.  Mr.  Phillips 
and  myself  used  our  walking-sticks  when  we 
sent  a  messenger  to  Areh.  Whenever  Enigbio, 
Arch's  messenger,  came  in  to  see  us  without  his 
crook,  he  was  no  more  than  any  other  respect- 
able man;  but  when  he  came  in  and  placed 
Areh's  staff  into  the  hand  of  one  of  us,  it  was 
Areh  that  was  speaking,  and  to  disobey  was 
banishment  or  death. 

When  carrying  a  message,  Enigbio  never  sa- 
luted any  one,  however  superior  in  rank.  This 
was  to  remind  the  people  of  the  authority  of  his 
master  and  show  the  importance  of  his  message. 

126 


Mental  Solitude 

It  was  said  that  if  Enigbio  had  spoken  to  any 
one  while  the  brass  crook  was  in  his  hand,  he 
would  have  lost  his  head.  I  did  not  believe  this 
story  until  I  happened  to  see  Areh  in  a  rage. 
Accompanied  by  my  interpreter  alone,  I  called 
to  pay  my  respects.  When  he  appeared,  his 
countenance  was  darkened  by  a  scowl  that  com- 
pletely transformed  it.  As  he  did  not  seem  dis- 
posed to  converse,  I  thought  it  safest  to  retire. 
On  turning  to  go,  I  saw  crowds  entering  the  gate 
and  prostrating  themselves  as  if  in  humble  sup- 
plication. At  the  gate  I  met  a  man  whose  head 
was  covered  with  ashes  and  whose  face  dis- 
played the  most  abject  terror.  I  did  not  learn 
what  his  fate  was,  but  after  seeing  Areh's  face 
that  day,  I  knew  he  was  capable  of  any  ferocious 
deed  to  sustain  his  authority. 


127 


XV 

WAYLAID  AND  CAPTURED 

I  MUST  now  take  the  reader  under  a  cloud,  but 
before  I  do  so,  I  will  explain  what  led  to  such  an 
unhappy  change  in  the  state  of  the  country. 

Though  the  rulers  of  Abeokuta  had  taken  sides 
with  the  English  in  their  war  with  Kosoko  and 
his  Portuguese  allies,  many  of  the  other  rulers  of 
the  country  had  not.  They  earnestly  desired  the 
restoration  of  the  slave  trade,  and  they  hated  the 
missionaries  and  those  friendly  to  them,  because 
they  rightly  supposed  that  the  missionaries  were 
opposed  to  the  slave  trade.  Therefore,  these 
rulers  were  desirous  of  driving  them  from  the 
country.  Among  these  rulers  was  Ogumulla,  the 
military  leader  of  Ebaddan,  the  friend  of  the  king 
of  Yoruba,  and  the  deadly  enemy  of  Areh. 

The  death  of  the  king  at  Awyaw  about  the 
middle  of  our  first  year,  seems  to  have  given  rise 
to  a  very  ambitious  scheme  in  the  mind  of  Ogu- 
mulla, who  seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of  African 
Orgetorix.  This  was  to  form  an  alliance  offen- 
sive and  defensive  with  Benin  on  the  east,  with 
Pahomy  on  the  west,  and  with  Kosoko's  party 

128 


Waylaid    and  Captured 

on  the  coast,  and  then  drive  out  of  the  country 
all  foreigners  opposed  to  the  slave  trade.  The 
destruction  of  Ejahyay  and  Abeokuta,  and  the  re- 
capture of  Lagos,  was  included  in  this  scheme. 
Ebekoonleh,  the  civil  governor  of  Ebaddan,  was 
a  friend  of  Areh  and  was  opposed  to  all  this,  and 
he  not  only  kept  Areh  secretly  posted  as  to  the 
conspiracy,  but  he  did  all  he  could  to  thwart 
Ogumulla's  plans.  But  the  latter  succeeded  in 
forming  a  powerful  war  party  not  only  in  Ebad- 
dan but  in  all  the  kingdom  of  Yoruba,  and  Ebe- 
koonleh was  compelled  to  fall  in  with  the  move- 
ment. Of  volunteers  from  the  towns  of  Yoruba 
and  from  Benin,  Nufe  and  other  slave-hunting 
nations  near  the  Niger,  Ogumulla  gathered  a  large 
army  to  attack  Ejahyay.  In  the  meantime  the 
Dahomians  were  to  prevent  any  assistance  by  de- 
stroying Abeokuta. 

Of  all  these  things,  we  knew  nothing  until  a 
desperate  adventure  into  which  I  was  precipitated 
by  circumstances  beyond  my  control,  brought 
them  unpleasantly  to  our  knowledge.  Among 
the  members  of  the  mission  church  were  two 
Liberian  carpenters,  named  Vaughn  and  Russell, 
who  had  lived  in  the  country  so  long  that  they 
were  natives  in  all  respects  except  in  dress  and  in 
religion.  The  first  of  these  had  established  a 

129 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

farm  camp  about  twenty  miles  from  Ejahyay  on 
the  road  to  Abeokuta.  The  other  had  been  living 
for  some  years  in  Ogbomishaw  and  in  Awyaw, 
the  capital,  towns  that  were  friendly  to  Ebaddan. 
Both  of  these  men  were  nearly  white  and  they 
were  also  men  of  excellent  character. 

Before  Mr.  Phillips  had  entirely  recovered  from 
the  smallpox,  Enigbio  hurriedly  entered  the  house 
one  day  and  brought  a  message  from  Areh  say- 
ing that  our  friend  Vaughn  was  in  great  danger, 
and  that  we  should  warn  him  to  come  into 
Ejahyay  immediately.  We  had  heard  that  Areh 
might  have  some  trouble  with  Ebaddan  because 
he  had  refused  to  acknowledge  allegiance  to  the 
successor  of  his  old  enemy,  but  we  could  not  see 
how  that  could  affect  the  safety  of  a  foreigner 
who  was  entirely  neutral  in  the  matter. 

The  night  before  I  started  on  the  journey  sug- 
gested by  Areh,  Russell  arrived  from  Awyaw, 
and  to  this  providential  fact  I  doubtless  owe  my 
life.  I  had  naturally  thought  of  buckling  on  a 
seven-shooter  but  my  wife  dissuaded  me  from 
this  and  persuaded  Russell  to  accompany  me. 
We  decided  to  take  no  arms,  but  in  case  of  real 
danger  to  make  use  only  of  the  mettle  and  the 
bottom  of  our  horses. 

I  was  most  unfortunately  mounted  for  this 

130 


Waylaid   and  Captured 

particular  occasion.  The  oracle  of  Efa  having 
counselled  Areh  to  ride  only  a  white  horse,  he 
purchased  a  beautiful  Arabian  of  that  color.  Not 
being  willing  for  any  of  his  own  people  to  ride 
his  old  war  horse,  he  persuaded  me  to  buy  it.  It 
was  the  largest  horse  in  all  that  country  and,  for 
that  reason,  was  known  everywhere  as  ' '  Arch's 
war  horse."  He  was  so  savage  and  unmanage- 
able that  I  named  him  "Bucephalus."  To  be 
more  secure  in  my  seat  and  to  be  able  to  sub- 
due him,  I  ordered  a  Mexican  saddle  and  spurs, 
and  these  with  a  pair  of  boots  arrived  just  in  time 
to  be  used  on  this  journey.  This  outfit,  in  con- 
nection with  Arch's  famous  horse,  helped  to  get 
me  into  serious  trouble. 

We  set  out  on  the  morning  of  the  first  anni- 
versary of  my  arrival  in  Ejahyay.  We  found  the 
farms  and  wayside  villages  entirely  deserted. 
By  this  we  knew  that  we  might  meet  enemies  at 
any  moment  and  proceeded  with  increasing  cau- 
tion as  we  got  farther  from  home.  But  I  was 
too  young  and  too  thoughtless  to  take  in  the 
seriousness  of  the  situation,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  my  companion  had  become  both  watch- 
ful and  silent.  I  could  not  realize  that  a  Yoruban 
might  harm  me,  and  I  tried  to  enjoy  the  ride  as  if 
all  was  peace.  On  the  other  hand,  my  com- 

131 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

panion  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Liberian  army 
and  he  knew  what  war  in  Africa  meant. 

In  about  six  hours,  one  of  which  was  occupied 
in  passing  through  a  dense  forest,  we  came  to 
the  farm  shanty  of  our  friend  and  found  that  it 
was  in  Ebaddan  territory.  About  one  mile  far- 
ther on  was  a  collection  of  huts  used  as  a  stop- 
ping place  for  caravans  on  their  way  to  and  from 
Abeokuta.  From  this  place  a  road  branched  off 
to  Ebaddan  which  was  about  twenty  miles  dis- 
tant. Pigeons  were  flying  around  the  shanty 
and  a  bunch  of  bananas  was  hanging  at  the  door, 
but  we  could  get  no  answer  to  our  calls,  and  my 
companion  rode  on  to  the  wayside  village  to  look 
for  Vaughn. 

After  waiting  sometime  and  hearing  some- 
thing like  the  sound  of  an  uproar  in  the  distance, 
1  rode  on  to  join  Russell.  But  soon  everything 
was  silent  again.  Just  before  reaching  the  vil- 
lage clearing,  I  was  met  and  quickly  surrounded 
by  a  body  of  men  armed  with  guns  and  cimeters. 
At  first  I  did  not  feel  much  alarm.  It  was  plain 
that  some  of  them,  were  not  Yorubans  and,  from 
the  way  in  which  they  looked  at  me,  I  knew  that 
they  had  never  seen  a  white  man  before.  They 
seemed  to  be  under  the  control  of  an  officer  or 
leader,  but  I  did  not  at  all  like  their  countenances. 

132 


Waylaid   and   Captured 

The  eyes  of  some  of  them  were  greyish  and  had 
the  cold,  merciless  gleam  of  the  steel  in  their 
hands.  They  stared  up  into  my  face  and  pressed 
closer  and  closer  to  me  like  beasts  of  prey  ready 
to  spring  upon  their  victim. 

"Whence  do  you  come?"  demanded  the 
leader. 

"From  Ejahyay,"  responded  I. 

As  quick  as  a  flash,  they  sprang  forward  and 
attempted  to  unhorse  me.  But  I  touched  my 
powerful  horse  with  the  spur  and  he  broke  loose 
from  them  with  me  still  in  the  saddle.  But  they 
got  my  broad-brimmed  grey  felt  hat,  my  um- 
brella, my  lunch  satchel,  and  also  tore  my  coat 
skirt  to  tatters.  The  strong  leather  strap  of  the 
satchel  broke  before  they  got  me  out  of  the  sad- 
dle. In  their  ferocity  they  jerked  it  too  hard. 
Their  leader  was  evidently  a  Yoruban  and  when 
he  gave  me  a  signal  to  surrender,  I  thought  it 
was  an  invitation  to  flee  and  escape.  I  wheeled 
my  horse  and  endeavored  to  do  so,  but  they 
closed  up  in  front  and  after  a  desperate  struggle 
in  which  I  came  near  being  shot,  I  was  unhorsed 
and  thrown  to  the  ground  with  great  violence. 

But  their  leader  pressed  them  back  with  his 
drawn  cimeter  and  thus  gave  me  an  opportunity 
to  spring  to  my  feet.  In  the  Yoruban  language, 

133 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

I  rebuked  them  sharply  for  thus  wanting  to  kill 
an  unarmed  man  and  the  officer  appeared  to  ap- 
prove what  I  said.  But  they  stood  looking  at 
me  in  profound  silence.  Not  a  single  word  had 
been  spoken  by  one  of  them  during  this  whole 
time.  That  dreadful  silence  was  their  sentence 
of  death.  But  the  officer  firmly  cleared  the  way 
to  my  horse  and  commanded  me  to  mount.  On 
hearing  this  command,  the  cutthroats  seemed  to 
fear  that  they  were  about  to  be  cheated  of  their 
lawful  prey  and  the  uproar  that  followed  was 
more  appalling  even  than  their  strange  silence 
had  been. 

At  this  juncture,  my  companion  was  brought 
up,  still  mounted,  but  a  prisoner.  The  sight  of 
his  face  confirmed  me  in  my  belief  that  I  was  to 
be  killed.  He  was  from  a  friendly  town,  but 
his  face  plainly  showed  that  he  was  expecting  to 
be  murdered.  He  understood  their  language 
perfectly,  and  knew  what  they  were  saying  in  all 
this  din.  I  saw  and  heard  enough  to  chill  my 
blood.  One  man  yelled,  "We  can't  sell  them. 
If  we  take  them  to  Ebekoonleh,  we  will  not  get 
anything.  Let  us  kill  them  now."  For  several 
moments  we  waited  in  sickening  suspense  the 
decision  of  the  commander-in-chief  as  to  our 
fate.  Then  a  young  man,  with  the  bearing  of 

134 


Waylaid   and  Captured 

one  high  in  authority,  suddenly  broke  through 
the  noisy  throng  and,  taking  my  horse  by  the 
bridle,  led  him  down  by  a  very  narrow  path  into 
a  dense  and  dark  forest.  My  companion  came 
along  behind,  while  a  soldier  with  a  gun  brought 
up  the  rear.  We  thought  we  were  being  led  to 
death. 

When  we  came  to  a  little  opening,  the  young 
man  in  front  called  a  halt  and  seemed  to  be  wait- 
ing for  some  one.  Presently  I  heard  a  sound  that 
made  my  blood  freeze  in  my  veins.  It  was  the 
rattling  of  war  accoutrements  of  soldiers  ap- 
proaching us  rapidly  from  behind.  With  deep 
emotion,  my  companion  called  to  me  and  said, 
"They  are  certainly  going  to  kill  us  now,  sir." 
I  looked  back  and  saw  those  same  wolfish  eyes 
glaring  at  me  through  the  foliage.  My  guard 
now  halted,  took  his  cimeter  from  his  shoulder 
and  came  up  to  the  side  of  my  horse.  Pointing 
to  the  men  who  had  just  come  up,  he  said  with 
much  authority  and  dignity,  "Oto  geh!"  (It  is 
enough.)  The  last  word  was  pronounced  with 
great  emphasis  and  prolonged  into  a  deep 
growl. 

It  seemed  certain  now  that,  helpless  and 
defenceless,  we  were  about  to  be  butchered  in 
that  lonely  spot  and  our  bodies  given  to  the 

135 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

wild  beasts  of  the  forest.  Language  cannot 
picture  my  feelings  at  that  moment.  I  have 
been  several  times  called  to  look  death  in  the 
face  since  that  time,  but  never  in  a  form  so 
indescribably  hideous.  But  the  young  man, 
instead  of  being  our  executioner,  was  our  guard. 
After  uttering  the  words  mentioned  above,  he 
sternly  commanded  our  pursuers  to  return  and 
to  take  the  places  assigned  to  them  and  to  fight 
like  men,  for  Arch's  army  was  coming  to  attack 
them.  They  faced  the  young  leader  in  silence  for 
a  while  and  then,  to  my  inexpressible  relief, 
reluctantly  and  slowly  retired. 

Then  with  long  but  not  ungraceful  strides,  my 
guard  plunged  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  forest. 
This  was  a  very  merciful  providence  to  me,  for  I 
was  entirely  bareheaded.  When  we  came  again 
into  the  burning  tropical  sun,  my  Liberian  com- 
panion placed  his  own  hat  on  my  head  and  made 
a  turban  for  himself  out  of  his  handkerchief. 
My  neck  was  already  blistered  and  this  thought- 
fulness  of  his  probably  ^ived  me  from  a  deadly 
sunstroke.  We  had  no  idea  what  our  captors 
intended  to  do  with  us,  but  escape  was  im- 
possible and  there  was  nothing  for  us  to  do  but 
to  trust  in  God  alone  and  to  resign  ourselves  as 
much  as  possible  to  His  will.  Yet  it  was  with 

136 


Waylaid   and  Captured 

a  sinking  heart  that  I  came  in  sight  of  Ebaddan 
and  saw  its  brown  thatched  roofs  extending 
many  miles  over  hill  and  dale,  for  I  had  reason 
to  fear  that  it  was  to  be  my  prison  until  it  be- 
came my  grave. 

We  entered  the  city  about  sundown  and  were 
taken  at  once  to  the  judgment  place  of  the 
governor,  Ebekoonleh.  This  was  a  counterpart 
of  that  of  Areh.  At  the  gate  or  door  of  the 
court,  the  young  man  ordered  us  to  dismount 
and,  placing  me  under  guard  of  the  soldier, 
entered  alone  to  report  to  the  governor.  After  a 
little  delay,  I  was  taken  in  under  guard.  1  have 
a  very  vivid  recollection  of  something  that  hap- 
pened just  here  for  which  I  cannot  certainly 
account  unless  I  had  now  become  partially 
crazed  by  heat  and  thirst,  combined  with  ex- 
citement. When  I  saw  the  majestic  and  ponder- 
ous form  of  Ebekoonleh  on  the  judgment-seat, 
and  a  great  crowd  of  people  standing  on  the 
left,  a  sudden  feeling  of  indignation  seized  me, 
and  by  the  side  of  the  soldier  I  stalked  defiantly 
up  to  the  governor,  looking  him  squarely  in  the 
eye  all  the  time.  But  he  did  not  seem  to  notice 
my  disrespectful  bearing,  and  with  quiet  dignity 
ordered  me  to  take  my  position  on  his  right. 
He  was  a  remarkably  handsome  man,  and 

137 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

before  the  trial  ended,  proved  to  be  a  wise  and 
just  judge. 

The  soldier  then  prostrated  and  preferred  his 
charge.  He  declared  that  I  was  an  officer  of 
high  rank  in  Arch's  army,  that  I  was  riding 
Arch's  war  horse,  that  I  had  come  with  an  army 
to  attack  the  Ebaddans  at  Edo,  and  that  I  had 
been  captured  after  a  desperate  fight.  He  cun- 
ningly left  the  governor  to  infer  how  great  a 
slaughter  I  had  made.  Knowing  that  every 
officer  taken  prisoner  in  this  country  is  put  to 
death,  I  suddenly  awoke  to  the  fact  that  I  was 
charged  with  a  capital  crime,  and  that  if  I  could 
not  disprove  the  lying  accusation  of  the  soldier, 
there  were  but  a  few  moments  more  between 
me  and  a  bloody  death.  Speaking  respectfully 
but  earnestly  and  using  my  companion  as  an 
interpreter,  I  explained  everything  fully.  The 
governor  replied  to  this  by  saying  that  a  white 
man  had  been  brought  to  Ebaddan  badly 
wounded  and  that  he  was  then  with  some 
friends  in  an  adjoining  house,  and  he  supposed 
that  this  was  the  man  we  had  come  to  warn  of 
his  danger.  He  then  demanded  my  gun  and  my 
sword,  but  when  these  could  not  be  produced,  he 
gave  a  grunt  of  displeasure.  He  seemed  to 
think  that  the  soldier  or  the  person  whose  agent 

138 


Waylaid   and   Captured 

he  was,  had  trifled  with  him.  Still  he  did  not 
seem  satisfied  and  he  hesitated  as  to  his  decision. 

After  a  short  pause,  he  took  from  some  one 
behind  him,  a  very  long  and  heavy  sword,  and 
handed  it  to  a  man  of  a  very  stern  and  repulsive 
countenance  who  stood  on  the  left.  When  the 
scowling  brute  ordered  me  to  follow  him,  a  des- 
perate plan  of  escape  flashed  like  lightning 
through  my  excited  imagination.  I  determined 
to  wrest  the  sword  from  the  hand  of  the  execu- 
tioner, fight  my  way  to  my  horse  and  escape  by 
any  way  that  might  be  open.  I  am  more  than 
six  feet  tall  and  have  a  large  frame,  but  fortu- 
nately for  me,  my  companion  was  as  cautious  as 
I  was  hasty.  With  a  loud  exclamation,  in  the 
Yoruban  language,  I  sprang  at  once  to  my  feet, 
but  Russell  quickly  intervened  and  hastily  ex- 
plained that  the  governor  was  only  going  to 
send  me  to  prison.  There  was  much  confusion 
at  first,  but  after  order  had  been  restored,  speak- 
ing through  my  companion,  I  sincerely  apolo- 
gized for  my  unseemly  and  hasty  conduct. 

But  I  could  not  suppress  fears  of  treachery,  for 
the  countenance  of  the  man  with  the  sword  as 
well  as  other  things,  showed  that  he  was  the 
regular  executioner,  and  as  I  passed  on  to  the 
gate  the  people  averted  their  faces  and  eyes. 

139 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

After  going  some  distance,  we  saw  the  lights  of 
a  missionary's  house.  It  was  a  vision  of  paradise, 
for  it  meant  rest,  sympathy,  and  congenial  society. 
But  when  we  came  almost  to  the  gate,  I  was  or- 
dered to  follow  the  man  with  the  sword  down 
into  a  dark  gorge.  My  suspicions  being  con- 
firmed, I  refused  to  obey;  but  my  companion 
again  exhorted  me  not  to  resist  yet,  but  to  obey 
until  I  knew  positively  what  they  were  going  to 
do.  As  I  turned  away  from  that  vision  of  a 
Christian  home,  to  go  down  into  that  dark  valley, 
it  was  like  a  lost  spirit  turning  away  from  a  vi- 
sion of  heaven  to  go  down  to  hell.  My  young 
heart  with  all  its  cherished  hopes  still  clung  to 
life,  and  I  felt  determined  to  make  all  reasonable 
effort  to  escape  when  any  seeming  opportunity 
presented  itself. 

After  going  some  distance  in  the  hollow,  we 
entered  a  large  compound  and  were  placed 
formally  in  charge  of  the  bale.  Our  new  guard, 
after  conferring  a  while  with  the  governor's  mes- 
senger, took  us  back  the  same  way  we  had  come 
to  the  missionary's  house,  with  the  warning  that 
if  we  left  there  without  the  permission  of  the 
governor,  we  would  be  killed  by  Ogumulla's 
men.  The  missionary,  Mr.  Hinderer  and  his 
wife,  were  absent  in  Abeokuta,  and  we  were 

140 


Waylaid   and   Captured 

placed  in  charge  of  the  assistant  of  Mr.  Hinderer. 
He  received  me  with  such  tender  sympathy  that 
I  sat  down  and  gave  vent  to  my  feelings  in  a 
flood  of  tears.  Thank  God  for  tears!  After 
that,  I  felt  more  like  a  Christian  man  ought  to 
feel  under  the  circumstances.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  would  feel  very  differently  now,  if  I  should 
be  placed  in  similar  circumstances,  but  I  must  tell 
things  as  they  happened.  Yet  I  sincerely  thanked 
God  that  my  hands  were  still  unstained  with  blood. 
The  next  day  Mr.  Hinderer  and  his  wife  arrived 
from  Abeokuta,  and  told  us  that  the  Dahomians 
were  rapidly  approaching  that  place  in  accordance 
with  the  agreement  with  Ogumulla.  He  then 
informed  me  of  other  things  in  connection  with 
this  man's  schemes,  some  of  which  I  have  al- 
ready mentioned.  I  found  out  that  while  Ogu- 
mulla had  not  yet  invaded  Ejahyay  territory,  he 
had  cut  off  all  communication  with  that  town  by 
the  regular  ways,  and  that  he  had  gotten  to- 
gether in  several  camps  on  the  roads  leading  to 
Ejahyay,  an  army  numbering  about  100,000  men. 
These  soldiers  were  not  only  from  Yoruban 
towns  favorable  to  the  war,  but  many  thousands 
of  them  were  from  Nufe,  Benin  and  other  war- 
like and  marauding  nations  nearer  the  Niger.  I 
was  told  that  the  men  who  captured  me  were 

141 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

Tarkpar  and  Foolah  adventurers  under  the  com- 
mand of  Ebaddan  officers,  and  that  to  save  me 
from  them,  the  son  of  the  governor  himself  had 
brought  me  to  Ebaddan  and  delivered  me  to  his 
father  that  I  might  have  a  fair  trial  before  being 
delivered  up  into  Ogumulla's  power.  As  power- 
ful as  he  was,  the  latter  dared  not  assume  to  be 
superior  to  Ebekoonleh  in  authority.  The  rever- 
ence these  people  have  for  their  legitimate  rulers 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  things  about  them, 
and  according  to  venerated  custom  Ogumulla 
was  only  Ebekoonleh's  lieutenant,  and  could 
command  no  forward  movement  until  he  received 
orders  or  at  least  permission  from  his  superior. 

During  the  five  days  that  I  was  prisoner  in 
Ebaddan,  the  two  chiefs  were  said  to  have  had  a 
stormy  conference  every  day,  Ogumulla  demand- 
ing an  immediate  attack  on  Ejahyay  and  other 
things,  and  Ebekoonleh  refusing  to  order  what 
he  demanded.  Ogumulla  also  demanded  that  I 
should  be  put  to  death  and  that  Arch's  horse 
should  be  given  to  him.  I  found  out  that  the 
reason  I  was  allowed  to  retain  my  horse  was  be- 
cause the  governor  was  not  willing  that  his  am- 
bitious subordinate  should  have  the  horse  I  had 
ridden.  I  was  not  allowed  to  lay  my  case  before 
the  governor,  but  Mrs.  Hinderer  made  many 

142 


Waylaid   and  Captured 

very  touching  appeals  for  my  release,  telling  of 
my  wife  and  of  the  sick  missionary  in  Ejahyay. 
The  governor's  reply  was  that  it  was  needless  to 
go  back  to  Ejahyay,  for  that  would  soon  be  de- 
stroyed ;  and  that,  if  Ogumulla's  men  did  not  kill 
me  before  I  got  there,  they  would  do  so  after- 
ward. When  Mrs.  Hinderer  asked  the  mes- 
senger what  would  become  of  my  wife,  he 
seemed  disgusted  and  asked,  "Is  that  the  only 
wife  he  has  ?  Why  can't  he  get  another  ?  " 

I  now  saw  that  the  only  way  to  get  away  from 
Ebaddan  was  to  leave  secretly  without  the  knowl- 
edge or  consent  of  the  governor. 

At  first,  I  thought  of  escaping  in  the  night  and 
trying  to  get  around  the  Ebaddan  camp  into 
Ejahyay  before  morning.  But  Mrs.  Hinderer 
suggested  that  I  try  to  get  to  Awyaw  and  lay  my 
case  before  the  king.  This  I  finally  decided  to 
do.  Mr.  Hinderer  had  been  too  sick  to  render  me 
any  assistance  since  his  arrival,  but  his  energetic 
and  tactful  spouse  provided  me  with  a  guide, 
some  "  cowries  "  and  some  presents  to  help  me  on 
the  way  to  Awyaw.  The  route  for  two  days  was 
at  right  angles  to  the  one  to  Ejahyay  and  was 
nearly  one  hundred  miles  farther;  but  I  was  will- 
ing to  endure  any  fatigue  and  to  run  any  risk  to 
get  home  alive. 

143 


XVI 

FLIGHT  FROM  EBADDAN 

ON  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth  day  of  my  cap- 
ture, accompanied  by  my  Liberian  friend  and  by 
my  guide,  I  quietly  left  Ebaddan  by  the  Awyaw 
route.  We  reached  Lahlookpon,  twenty  miles 
distant  by  dark.  This  is  a  wayside  village  pro- 
tected by  a  stockade  and  placed  in  the  midst  of  a 
dense  forest.  There  is  no  way  of  entering  or 
departing  except  by  the  way  which  passes 
through  it — and  it  is  just  the  place  for  dark, 
treacherous  and  bloody  deeds.  Here  I  passed  a 
night,  every  incident  of  which  will  remain  vividly 
impressed  on  my  memory  as  long  as  reason  re- 
mains. About  dark,  just  before  we  came  to  the 
gate  of  the  stockade,  my  companion  suddenly  ex- 
claimed, "They  are  following  us,  sir."  I  turned 
back  quickly  and  saw  a  man  dodge  into  the 
bushes  on  the  side  of  the  path.  I  jumped  to  the 
conclusion  at  once  that  Ogumulla's  men  were  fol- 
lowing us.  If  they  were  not  enemies,  why 
should  they  hide  from  us  ?  But  we  were  allowed 
to  pass  the  gate  and  I  received  permission  from 
the  bale  of  the  town  to  pass  the  night  in  his 

144 


Flight  from  Ebaddan 

house.  To  make  him  as  friendly  as  possible,  I 
gave  him  a  handsome  razor.  While  I  was  sitting 
and  sadly  meditating  on  my  situation,  the  gate- 
keeper entered  and  prostrating  to  the  bale,  warned 
him  to  be  careful  about  what  he  was  doing,  for  I 
was  riding  Areh's  horse  and  I  was  the  white  man 
Ogumulla  had  captured.  He  did  not  know  that 
we  heard.  I  now  remembered  Ebekoonleh's 
warning  and  I  believed  Ogumulla's  men  were  fol- 
lowing either  to  murder  me  that  night  or  to  carry 
me  back  with  my  horse  to  Ebaddan.  I  supposed 
that  they  hoped  the  bale  would  not  allow  me 
to  stay  inside  the  stockade  and  I  would  be  in 
their  power.  What  it  all  meant,  I  never  knew. 
The  bale  had  a  conference  with  somebody,  and  I 
was  not  disturbed.  But  I  thought  that  there  was 
a  plan  on  foot  to  murder  me  that  night  and  this 
supposed  discovery,  led  to  a  most  painful  mental 
conflict.  I  had  a  cutlass  at  my  service,  but  I 
knew  that  resistance  would  be  in  vain  even  if  it 
might  be  right. 

When  I  realized  that  there  was  no  possible  way 
of  escape,  my  heart  fainted  and  I  sank  into  a  state 
from  which  I  could  not  arouse  myself,  not  being 
able  either  to  speak  or  to  move.  By  shaking  me, 
calling  me  by  name  and  shouting  in  my  ear, 
"  Don't  do  that  way,  sir, "  my  faithful  friend  suc- 

146 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

ceeded  in  arousing  me  so  that  I  could  speak,  but 
I  found  it  quite  impossible  to  partake  of  any 
nourishment.  During  this  physical  prostration, 
my  mind  was  abnormally  active.  I  seemed  to  see 
many  of  the  scenes  of  my  boyhood  days.  I  also 
saw  my  wife  wandering  weeping  about  our 
home  in  Ejahyay.  I  tried  to  find  some  rest  on 
the  ground  with  my  saddle  for  a  pillow,  but  I 
passed  a  night  full  of  horror.  So  soon  as  I  would 
begin  to  doze,  some  suspicious  sound  would 
make  me  start  up  to  listen.  It  was  too  dark  to 
see  anything,  but  my  hearing  was  intensely 
acute  and  exaggerated  every  sound.  I  was  also 
in  most  intense  physical  pain,  having  had  a  very 
severe  ague  in  the  first  of  the  night. 

About  midnight  there  was  a  great  alarm.  The 
stillness  of  the  hour  was  suddenly  broken  by  a 
piercing  shriek.  Lights  flashed  about  and  I  saw 
men  taking  down  their  guns  and  powder  gourds. 
Then  there  was  a  cry  of,  "  Fire!  Fire!  "  I  thought 
the  Ebaddans  had  fired  the  house  to  drive  me  out, 
but  I  awaited  developments  before  taking  action. 
After  some  suspense,  I  learned  through  my  com- 
panion that  a  child  named  Ena  (fire)  was  thought 
to  be  dying,  and  all  this  noise  was  the  result  of 
the  efforts  of  the  people  in  the  house  to  drive 
away  the  evil  spirit  that  was  dragging  away  the 

146 


Flight  from  Ebaddan 

little  soul.  The  woman  who  screamed  was  its 
mother.  She  first  discovered  the  desperate  ill- 
ness of  the  child  and  gave  the  alarm.  The  men 
ran  for  their  "  medicine  "  gourds  and  rattled  them 
over  the  child  to  drive  away  the  evil  spirit.  For 
some  minutes  the  frantic  mother  continued  to 
call  its  name  while  she  forced  apart  its  eyelid  and 
breathed  into  its  nostrils.  Then  it  revived  and 
all  was  as  quiet  again  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
So  soon  as  we  could  see,  we  resumed  our  jour- 
ney. Knowing  that  the  gatekeeper  was  our 
enemy  for  some  cause,  and  that  he  had  had 
plenty  of  time  to  communicate  with  Ebaddan,  I 
rode  for  an  hour  or  more  in  constant  dread  of  an 
ambush,  but  we  met  no  one  who  seemed  to  be 
hostile.  We  met  soldiers  hurrying  on  to  join 
Ogumulla's  army,  but  they  passed  us  without 
even  saluting  or  noticing  us  in  any  way.  Our 
path  led  through  a  very  dense  forest  of  lofty 
trees.  About  noon  we  came  to  the  Orbar  river 
where  we  had  to  pay  a  kind  of  internal  revenue 
tax.  Just  before  reaching  this  place,  I  heard  a 
man  yell,  "Allah  Mohammedu!"  When  I  came 
up  to  the  place,  I  found  him  crouching  in  the 
vines  by  the  path  as  if  very  much  afraid  of  me. 
When  he  saw  my  big  horse  and  Mexican  saddle, 
and  the  cadaverous  face  of  the  rider,  he  doubt- 

147 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

less  thought  I  was  an  apparition  from  the  unseen 
world. 

The  tax  collectors  at  the  river  were  all  Mos- 
lems. Their  turbans  and  tobes  were  spotless, 
and  their  vests  and  trousers  were  of  the  finest 
velvet.  Just  a  little  beyond  the  river  was  the 
town  Ewo,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  fortified  in 
the  whole  country.  This  town  was  in  the  league 
against  Ejahyay  and  I  entered  it  with  some  mis- 
givings, not  knowing  what  instructions  the  gov- 
ernor might  have  received  from  Ogumulla  during 
the  past  night.  Often  these  rulers  have  secret 
communication  with  each  other  during  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night  and  plot  any  amount  of  mis- 
chief before  daylight.  Professional  hunters  be- 
come spies  and  scouts  in  war  and  are  very  effi- 
cient instruments  for  such  secret  conferences.  I 
found  the  chief  sitting  in  state  surrounded  by  the 
twenty-four  elders  of  the  town,  all  dressed  in 
turbans  and  tobes  and  evidently  discussing  some- 
thing very  serious.  I  saluted  him  respectfully 
and  asked  permission  to  go  through  his  town  to 
visit  the  king.  He  replied  very  pleasantly,  grant- 
ing the  permission  and  then  dismissed  us  with 
the  usual  polite  expressions. 

Through  our  guide  we  got  some  information 
that  made  me  determine  to  change  our  proposed 

148 


Flight  from  Ebaddan 

route.  We  had  intended  to  turn  to  the  left  here 
and  go  straight  to  Awyaw,  but  we  learned  that 
Ogumulla's  men  had  been  seen  on  the  road  be- 
tween Ewo  and  Awyaw  and  that  the  only  way 
to  escape  them  would  be  by  going  on  to  Ogbom- 
ishaw,  a  neutral  town,  sixty  miles  further  in  the 
interior  on  the  border  of  Western  Soudan.  I 
was  much  distressed  at  the  necessity  for  this 
change,  for  it  would  add  an  additional  hundred 
miles  to  my  journey.  But  I  was  willing  to  do 
anything  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  Ogumulla's 
people,  and  determined  to  hide  in  Ewo  until  the 
next  morning  and  make  an  early  start  for  Ogbom- 
ishaw. 

Our  guide  conducted  us  to  the  house  of  a  man 
who,  he  said,  had  once  been  a  member  of  the 
mission  church  of  Ebaddan  and  who  was  a  friend 
of  the  white  man,  and  could  be  trusted.  When 
night  came,  I  was  almost  as  much  depressed  as  I 
had  been  at  Lahlookpon.  I  was  now  going 
away  from  Ejahyay  and  things  began  to  look  as 
if  I  would  never  see  that  town  again.  I  could 
not  endure  the  thought  of  my  wife  falling  into 
the  power  of  those  ruffians  from  whom  I  had 
just  been  delivered.  But  I  was  not  yet  free  my- 
self, and  was  in  as  much  dread  of  being  inter- 
cepted on  my  way  to  Awyaw,  as  1  was  when 

149 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

riding  out  of  the  Ebaddan  gate.  The  route  from 
Ewo  to  Ogbomishaw  leads  sixty  miles  through  a 
very  wild  country,  and  I  contemplated  it  with 
much  anxiety.  An  almost  unbroken  wilderness 
lies  between  Ogbomishaw  and  Awyaw,  and  at 
that  time  one  could  travel  the  whole  of  the  last 
named  distance  without  meeting  anybody  but 
people  engaged  in  the  chase  or  in  war. 

I  was  now  quite  ill  with  African  fever.  When 
a  heavy  rain  came  up  and  beat  in  on  me  where  I 
was  lying  in  the  piazza.,  a  woman  in  the  com- 
pound kindly  offered  to  vacate  her  sleeping 
apartment  for  my  relief.  But  soon  a  greater 
surprise  than  this  awaited  me.  As  I  was  lying 
on  a  grass  mat  in  the  little  room,  by  the  light  of 
a  little  native  lamp  I  saw  the  mat  which  hung 
over  the  door  pushed  aside.  Then  a  hand  hold- 
ing a  book  was  thrust  within  and  that  book  was 
an  old  English  Bible.  Our  host  could  not  speak 
English,  and  why  he  had  the  Bible,  I  can't  im- 
agine. But  the  sight  of  it  brought  indescribable 
joy  to  my  heart.  I  arose  from  the  mat  and 
opened  it  at  random.  The  first  thing  my  eye  fell 
upon  was  the  twenty-seventh  psalm,  and  as  I 
read  it  aloud,  it  seemed  to  be  the  very  voice  of 
God  speaking  from  heaven.  After  the  reading, 
we  both  kneeled  together  and  I  prayed  aloud. 

150 


Flight  from  Ebaddan 

While  I  was  praying  the  burden  of  my  heart 
seemed  to  melt  away,  and  I  became  conscious  of 
a  very  strong  assurance  that  I  would  soon  be  de- 
livered out  of  my  distressed  condition.  The  feel- 
ing was  so  strong  that  it  greatly  strengthened  my 
body  by  refreshing  my  spirit.  My  body  was 
racked  with  the  pains  of  the  African  fever  but 
my  heart  was  sweetly  at  rest  in  God;  and  the 
night  I  passed  in  Ewo,  is  vividly  contrasted  in 
my  memory  with  my  hideous  experience  at 
Lahlookpon. 

A  broiled  piece  of  porcupine  meat  tempted  me 
to  take  a  little  nourishment — the  first  I  had  tasted 
since  leaving  Ebaddan.  During  the  night  we 
heard  a  mother  silence  her  child  with  the  warn- 
ing, "Kumee  will  catch  you."  We  gathered 
from  this  that  we  were  not  yet  among  the  friends 
of  our  chief,  and  that  it  would  be  advisable  to 
leave  the  town  as  soon  as  practicable.  We  had 
left  our  horses  outside  the  gate  of  the  town  in 
charge  of  our  guide  and  so  soon  as  the  gate  was 
open  we  mounted  and  set  out  for  Ogbomishaw. 
When  leaving,  I  told  my  companion  of  the 
change  in  my  feelings. 

"That  is  just  the  way  I  felt,  too,  sir, "said  he 
with  a  brightened  countenance;  for  up  to  this  time 
his  face  had  worn  an  exceedingly  sad  expression. 

151 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

But  he  had  always  been  cool,  sympathetic  and 
brave  in  all  this  great  trouble. 

The  enlivening  of  my  spirit  showed  itself  that 
day  in  a  most  astounding  physical  endurance. 
Though  so  weak  that  I  mounted  my  horse  with 
difficulty,  1  rode  sixty  miles  that  day,  keeping  the 
saddle  until  late  at  night  and  allowing  the  guide 
only  time  to  rest.  My  stomach  would  not  retain 
food  and  my  back  and  limbs  ached  dreadfully, 
but  I  did  not  allow  these  things  to  delay  me  a 
moment.  My  mind  had  been  lifted  up  from  the 
darkness  of  despair  to  the  light  of  hope.  The  in- 
tellectual and  spiritual  were  masters  for  the  time 
of  the  physical  and  animal.  My  experience  that 
day  seemed  to  me  to  be  a  philosophical  hint  of 
the  fact  that  while  the  body  is  essential  to  a  com- 
plete humanity  in  any  case,  there  may  be  an  inter- 
mediate state  in  which  the  soul  has  conscious  life 
and  vigorous  activity  without  the  aid  of  matter. 

We  found  that  the  first  stopping  place  for  cara- 
vans was  in  the  heart  of  a  forest  and,  as  it  was 
still  early  in  the  afternoon,  I  persuaded  the  guide 
to  go  on,  feeling  that  it  would  be  better  to  camp 
in  the  jungle  among  the  leopards  than  in  another 
Lahlookpon;  and  among  the  leopards,  we  came 
near  having  to  camp,  sure  enough.  The  sun 
went  down  as  we  emerged  from  the  forest,  and 

152 


Flight  from  Ebaddan 

darkness  overtook  us  many  miles  from  Ogbom- 
ishaw  in  a  jungle  swarming  with  leopards  noted 
in  the  country  for  their  boldness  and  ferocity. 
The  air  was  filled  with  doleful  sounds,  the  wild 
animals  began  to  move  about,  and  once  the  guide 
became  alarmed,  but  we  had  no  adventure  with 
any  kind  of  wild  beast.  I  do  not  positively  know 
that  I  even  saw  any.  I  was  more  concerned  at 
that  time  about  ferocious  bipeds  than  about 
quadrupeds.  Yet  we  had  reason  to  be  thankful 
we  were  not  molested,  for  I  was  told,  after 
reaching  the  town,  that  leopards  had  even  been 
known  to  tear  down  the  farm  huts  and  devour 
the  inmates,  and  that  one  had  attacked  a  woman 
inside  the  walls  in  broad  day. 

After  some  anxiety,  we  saw  in  the  distance  a 
speck  of  light  which  proved  to  be  a  lamp  at  the 
gate  of  Ogbomishaw.  This  town  being  neutral, 
I  was  secure  as  long  as  I  was  inside  its  walls. 
The  house  of  the  American  Baptist  Mission  was 
then  temporarily  occupied  by  two  travellers  with 
abundant  supplies,  and  here  for  two  nights  and  a 
day,  I  found  food,  shelter  and  rest.  The  mis- 
sionary was  absent  in  America,  but  the  house  was 
in  charge  of  his  interpreter,  and  everything  was 
exactly  as  he  left  it. 

Before  parting  with  the  travellers,  I  exchanged 

153 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

horses  with  one  of  them,  telling  him  honestly 
why  I  did  so.  I  never  saw  Bucephalus  again.  I 
heard  that  the  traveller  sold  him  to  a  Sierra  Leone 
merchant  who  killed  him  in  trying  to  subdue 
him,  having  galloped  him  twenty-one  miles  in  a 
single  heat.  He  was  as  fiery  as  ever  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  but  the  next  morning  he  was 
stretched  out  dead — unconquerable  to  the  last.  I 
never  saw  his  like  before  and  I  hope  I  will  never 
see  it  again.  To  better  fit  him  for  war,  he  had 
been  trained  to  bite  people  and  to  strike  at  them 
with  his  forefeet.  He  would  spring  at  the  hostler 
and  make  his  teeth  crack  together  like  a  lion's. 
Even  after  I  had  galloped  him  long  and  furiously, 
his  fierce  snort  and  wild  neigh  would  make  chil- 
dren flee  as  if  a  lion  were  coming. 


154 


XVII 

HOME    AGAIN 

FORTY  miles  from  Ogbomishaw  on  the  road  to 
the  Niger  is  Illorin,  the  most  interesting  of  all  the 
towns  in  which  the  Yoruban  language  is  spoken. 
Its  population  consists  of  two  distinct  races,  the 
Foolahs  and  Yorubans,  living  in  separate  districts 
of  the  city  which  is  a  kingdom  or  principality  in 
itself.  The  chief  ruler  is  called  "  Emir"  and  was 
chosen  from  the  Foolahs  only.  While  he  ruled 
the  Yorubans  with  moderation,  he  treated  them 
as  a  conquered  race  and  gave  them  no  share  in 
the  government.  The  Emir  at  this  time  was  not 
only  a  Foolah  but,  like  most  of  his  race,  a  bigoted 
Mussulman,  and  would  not  suffer  any  Christian 
missionary  to  settle  in  the  town.  No  stranger 
could  enter  the  city  without  special  permission 
from  the  Emir  and  was  in  the  hands  of  an  officer 
as  guide  and  keeper  until  he  departed.  At  that 
time,  the  officer  who  performed  this  duty  was 
named  Nasamo  and  was  quite  famous  on  account 
of  his  intelligence,  courtesy  and  dignity.  But 
the  most  remarkable  thing  about  him  was  that  he 
had  never  had  but  one  wife,  and  was  then  a 

155 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

widower  with  two  daughters  who  looked  after 
his  household.  As  he  was  a  very  old  man,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  he  ever  married  again. 

The  Emir  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity and  would  grant  special  privileges  to  any 
stranger  who  furnished  proof  that  he  belonged 
to  that  order.  Ordinarily  his  person  was  screened 
while  giving  an  audience  to  Nazarenes  and  other 
foreigners,  but  when  he  discovered  that  his  vis- 
itor was  a  Mason,  he  pulled  the  curtain  aside 
and  embraced  him  with  many  manifestations 
of  joy  and  affection.  He  was  a  white  Foolah 
and  like  all  other  rulers  of  his  race,  preyed  on 
the  Pagan  towns  near  him.  Illorin  boasted  the 
largest  slave  market  in  that  part  of  Africa.  The 
Yorubans  who  lived  in  the  town  as  subjects  of 
the  Emir  were  mostly  Pagans  and  had  little 
social  intercourse  with  their  haughty  masters, 
and  they  were  secretly  cherishing  at  that  time 
a  burning  desire  to  free  themselves  from  the 
Foolah  yoke. 

I  will  add  here  as  a  sort  of  note  that  this  desire 
has  recently  been  gratified.  In  a  battle  fought 
between  the  English  and  the  forces  of  the  Emir 
in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1897,  the  Yorubans 
turned  against  the  Foolahs  and  placed  themselves 
under  the  protection  of  the  English.  The  Emir 

156 


a 


o 

5  u 
S  > 


«  1 


Home  Again 

was  defeated  and  fled  to  Ogbomishaw.  Illorin 
was  captured  and  the  Yorubans  are  now  freed 
from  the  oppressions  of  their  Mussulman  mas- 
ters. With  Illorin  also  fell  Bida,  Socotoo  and 
other  Foolah  towns,  and  slave  hunting,  with  all 
its  diabolical  cruelties  and  unspeakable  horrors, 
has  been  broken  up  in  that  part  of  Africa  for  all 
time.  This  should  open  a  way  for  missionaries, 
but  the  Niger  company  is  more  interested  in 
trade  than  in  missions,  and  will  do  little  to  curb 
Mussulman  bigotry  unless  there  is  a  change  in  its 
policy.  The  Emir  still  refuses  to  allow  Christian 
missionaries  to  preach  in  Illorin  and  the  farthest 
they  can  go  in  that  direction  is  Ogbomishaw. 
Here  Rev.  C.  E.  Smith  of  the  Southern  Baptist 
Convention,  is  at  the  head  of  a  most  interesting 
and  successful  mission. 

Illorin  being  in  alliance  with  Abeokuta  and 
Ejahyay,  it  seemed  wisest  at  first  for  me  to  go  to 
Illorin  and  thence  to  Abeokuta  and  Ejahyay;  but 
being  informed  by  traders  that  the  road  to  Aw- 
yaw  from  Ogbomishaw  was  certainly  open,  I 
finally  determined  to  go  directly  to  the  capital 
and  to  place  myself  under  the  protection  of 
Ardayloo,  king  of  Yoruba.  I  knew  that  my 
wife  was  in  great  trouble  and  that  it  was  a 
matter  of  much  importance  that  I  should  inform 

157 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

her  of  my  safety  as  soon  as  possible  and,  if  Ar- 
dayloo  was  favorable,  I  would  be  in  Ejahyay  in 
a  few.  hours  after  leaving  Awyaw.  I  also  felt 
happy  at  the  thought  that  my  face  would  now 
be  turned  toward  Ejahyay.  A  number  of  men 
who  were  going  to  Awyaw  desired  permission 
to  make  a  part  of  my  company  and  in  this  way 
our  party  was  augmented  to  a  considerable  band. 
We  were  delayed  in  the  beginning  of  our 
journey  by  a  very  sad  event.  Just  after  we  had 
left  the  gate  of  the  town,  my  Liberian  companion 
reeled  in  his  saddle  and  fell  from  his  horse.  As 
this  town  had  been  his  home  for  many  years,  he 
had  many  friends  here,  and  1  left  him  in  their  care 
and  resumed  my  journey,  though  distressed  to 
part  with  him  under  such  circumstances.  I 
never  saw  him  again,  but  that  sad  face  shaded 
by  long  raven  locks,  will  always  remain  in  my 
memory  as  vivid  and  real  as  life.  If  he  had  not 
gone  with  me,  I  would  not  have  survived  this 
adventure.  His  life  was  given  in  exchange  for 
mine.  Not  once  did  he  express  any  regret  that 
he  had  gone  with  me.  He  recovered  sufficiently 
to  get  to  Abeokuta  by  a  circuitous  route  and  he 
was  there  at  the  station  of  the  American  Baptist 
Mission  when  he  died  a  short  time  afterward. 
Mr.  Phillips  informed  me  that  his  nervous  sys- 

158 


Home  Again 

tern  was  so  completely  shattered  by  this  unfor- 
tunate adventure,  that  he  talked  of  little  else, 
often  shuddering  and  praying  while  recounting 
the  incidents  of  our  capture,  trial  and  flight.  I 
am  thankful  to  believe  that  he  at  last  found 
rest  in  the  peace  of  a  Christian's  hope,  and  that 
at  some  future  time,  we  will  meet  where  "the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling  and  the  weary  are 
at  rest." 

On  our  journey  to  Awyaw,  we  met  no  one  ex- 
cept some  hunters  in  a  little  grassy  opening  in 
the  forest.  These  came  toward  us  running, 
shouting  and  leaping  high  over  the  bushes  and 
grass,  and  as  they  had  guns  in  their  hands  and 
had  the  accoutrements  of  soldiers,  we  at  first 
thought  they  were  Ogumulla's  men  coming  to 
intercept  me.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  I  was 
greatly  relieved  when  I  found  that  they  were 
not.  The  object  of  their  pursuit  ran  just  in  front 
of  my  horse  and  was  supposed  to  be  a  wild 
boar. 

At  noon  we  rested  on  the  bank  of  the  Orbar 
river  under  the  great  trees  of  an  open  grove. 
Such  a  natural  phenomenon  is  so  rare  in  Africa 
that  I  was  tempted  to  wander  some  distance  up 
the  river  under  its  refreshing  shade.  This  pleas- 
ant recreation  was  brought  to  a  sudden  conclu- 

159 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

sion  by  a  loud  roar  in  the  still  forest.  If  my 
Ejahyay  gun  loaded  with  ball  had  been  in  my 
hand,  I  would  have  investigated  before  retiring; 
but  under  the  circumstances,  I  thought  it  best  to 
leave  and  not  be  too  slow  about  it,  either.  The 
country  north  of  this  is  infested  with  lions,  but 
the  natives  call  a  lion  kinneu,  and  a  monkey  or 
anything  of  that  tribe,  aryar;  and  they  said  that 
the  sound  had  been  produced  by  an  aryar  and 
not  a  hinneu.  As  I  had  just  seen  a  large  num- 
ber of  big,  black  monkeys  in  the  trees  a  little  back 
in  the  forest,  I  had  to  abandon  my  lion  story. 

As  these  are  not  allowed  in  any  other  than  the 
royal  city,  one  can  always  know  when  he  is  ap- 
proaching Awyaw  by  a  sight  of  the  arharbee  or 
towers  on  the  king's  house.  It  was  with  a 
strange  mingling  of  dread  and  of  joy  that  I 
caught  a  distant  view  of  these  peculiar  structures 
in  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun.  In  the  mys- 
terious providence  of  God,  the  petty  African 
despot  who  sat  under  these  towers  had  become 
the  arbiter  of  my  fate;  and  I  fervently  prayed 
again,  as  I  had  done  before,  that  God  would  put 
it  into  his  heart  to  grant  my  petition. 

While  in  Ejahyay,  I  had  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Rev.  T.  A.  Reid,  the  missionary  of  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Mission  in  Awyaw,  and  to  his  house  I 

160 


Home  Again 

proceeded  as  soon  as  we  entered  the  town.  He 
gave  me  a  joyful  welcome.  He  had  heard  of  my 
disappearance  and  had  just  returned  from  a  haz- 
ardous trip  in  search  of  me.  Supposing  that  I 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  Ogumulla's  men,  he 
started  for  Ebaddan  under  the  protection  of  a 
royal  messenger.  At  Ewo,  he  learned  that  a  si- 
lent white  man,  who  was  riding  a  very  big  horse 
and  looked  sick,  had  passed  through  there  on  his 
way  to  the  interior.  He  was  so  well  satisfied  it 
was  I  that,  most  fortunately  for  me,  he  returned 
at  once  to  Awyaw  without  proceeding  to  Ebad- 
dan. He  had  just  dismounted  when  I  rode  up. 
He  sadly  told  me  that  the  same  messenger  who 
had  informed  him  of  my  disappearance  had  also 
told  him  that  my  wife,  supposing  that  I  had  been 
murdered,  had  been  prostrated  by  her  grief  and 
was  not  expected  to  live. 

Mr.  Reid  sent  to  salute  the  king  and  to  inform 
him  of  my  safe  arrival,  but  that  I  was  too  much 
fatigued  to  appear  before  him  in  person.  The 
king  sent  a  messenger  at  once  congratulating  Mr. 
Reid  on  account  of  my  safety  and  giving  me  per- 
mission to  proceed  at  once  to  Ejahyay  without 
appearing  before  him.  I  will  say  here,  by  way 
of  parenthesis,  that  I  was  very  fortunate  in  this 
matter;  for  Ardayloo  was  very  much  under  the 

161 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

influence  of  Ogumulla,  and  was,  also,  a  man  of 
uncertain  humors.  A  short  time  after  he  treated 
me  so  kindly,  he  threatened  to  behead  two  mis- 
sionaries who  came  to  Awyaw  from  Abeokuta  to 
get  permission  to  visit  Ebaddan.  It  was  only 
through  the  intercession  of  Mr.  Reid,  who  seemed 
to  have  much  influence  over  him,  that  they  were 
even  permitted  to  return  to  Abeokuta.  Their 
lives  were  spared  upon  condition  that  they  would 
be  a  certain  distance  from  the  city  in  one  hour 
after  they  had  been  warned. 

Mr.  Reid  accompanied  me  to  the  outposts  of 
the  Awyaw  army,  and  then  bade  me  an  affec- 
tionate adieu.  I  did  not  see  him  again  until  we 
met  in  America. 

As  the  pickets  had  been  instructed  to  let  me 
pass  in  safety,  I  soon  found  myself  on  Ejahyay 
territory.  In  coming  suddenly  out  of  a  belt  of 
forest,  I  came  upon  a  number  of  Ejahyay  soldiers 
plundering  the  Awyaw  farms,  and  it  was  very 
amusing  to  see  how  the  fellows  stuck  to  their 
baskets  of  yams  while  they  scampered  away  sup- 
posing that  the  horsemen  of  the  enemy  were 
coming.  A  little  farther  on  I  came  to  the  outpost 
of  the  Ejahyay  army.  The  commander  received 
me  kindly  and  wanted  to  detain  me  to  give  some 

account  of  what  I  had  learned  of  the  Ebaddan 
162 


Home  Again 

army,  but  I  was  too  much  excited  to  be  willing 
to  stop. 

The  forest  which  belted  Ejahyay  was  now 
in  sight.  All  suspense  was  now  over.  I  was 
safe.  I  was  free.  Oh,  the  happiness  of  that 
moment!  My  heart  was  ready  to  burst  with 
tumultuous  joy  and,  for  a  moment,  I  forgot 
what  might  be  before  me.  With  an  exultant 
shout  I  put  spurs  to  my  horse  and  went 
in  a  sweeping  gallop  across  the  plain.  Dashing 
through  the  intervening  forest  and  the  city  gate, 
I  came  in  another  moment  to  the  mission  com- 
pound. But  nobody  greeted  me.  No  one  was 
in  sight,  and  the  silence  of  the  grave  reigned 
throughout  the  place.  My  heart  sank  within 
me.  I  leaned  over  the  wall  and  saw  my  inter- 
preter within  a  few  feet  of  me  reclining  on  a  mat 
in  the  piazza  of  his  house.  His  countenance  was 
much  dejected,  and  when  I  saw  how  really  dis- 
tressed he  was,  I  was  much  moved  by  this  evi- 
dence of  his  sincere  affection.  In  a  low  tone,  I 
spoke  his  name,  and  when  he  looked  up,  1  made 
a  gesture  for  silence.  But  there  was  no  restrain- 
ing him.  At  first  his  eyes  dilated  as  if  he  had 
seen  a  ghostly  apparition,  then  he  sprang  to  his 
feet  with  a  loud  cry  of  joy,  and  started  for  the 
gate  with  his  arms  held  aloft  as  if  about  to  fly. 

163 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

As  I  rode  into  the  gate  he  threw  his  arms  around 
me  and  dragged  me  from  my  horse.  Soon  all 
the  children  of  the  mission  compound  were 
clinging  to  my  hands  and  my  knees,  frantic 
with  delight.  Freeing  myself  from  these  I 
rushed  into  the  house  and  met  my  wife,  pale 
and  tottering,  at  the  door  of  her  room,  and  all 
our  troubles  were  over  for  one  while,  anyhow. 

In  a  short  time  all  the  converts  and  many  of 
the  neighbors  crowded  in  to  hear  the  story  of 
my  deliverance,  and  the  joy  they  manifested  was 
very  gratifying.  In  a  few  days  both  my  wife 
and  myself  felt  almost  as  well  as  usual,  so  much 
has  the  mental  to  do  with  the  physical,  especially 
in  this  strange  climate. 

From  the  time  of  leaving  Ebaddan  until  reaching 
Ejahyay,  my  head  had  been  protected  from  the 
sun  by  nothing  but  a  brimless  cloth  cap  and  my 
neck  and  face  were  badly  blistered,  but  I  did  not 
receive  any  enduring  injury  from  this  dangerous 
exposure.  It  is  possible  that  starvation  and  ex- 
citement may  have  been  used  as  instruments  by 
a  merciful  Providence  to  save  me  from  fatal  sun- 
stroke. During  the  ten  days  of  my  adventure,  I 
did  not  eat  as  much  as  I  ordinarily  ate  in  a  single 
day. 

In  relating  her  experience  during  this  trying 

164 


Home  Again 

time,  my  wife  told  me  that  she  was  much  dis- 
turbed when  I  did  not  return  the  first  night,  but 
hoped  that  I  had  been  detained  to  help  Vaughn 
get  his  property  home.  When  I  did  not  appear 
at  noon  the  next  day,  she  persuaded  two  other 
Liberians  named  Barbour  and  Smith  that  were  in 
the  country  and  happened  to  be  at  that  time 
temporarily  sojourning  in  town,  to  go  in  search 
of  me.  These  men  were  full-blooded  Africans 
who  had  fallen  from  a  state  of  civilization  to  the 
level  of  the  heathen;  but,  while  they  were 
desperadoes,  they  still  possessed  many  excellent 
traits  of  character.  From  pure  sympathy,  they 
agreed  to  go  in  search  of  me,  notwithstanding 
their  knowledge  of  the  people  made  them  realize 
what  extreme  peril  would  attend  the  undertak- 
ing. Fully  armed,  they  set  out  about  noon  to  gc 
to  the  shanty  of  Vaughn.  Impatient  from  sus- 
pense, my  wife  attended  by  her  native  maid, 
followed  the  road  some  distance  from  the  town, 
still  hoping  to  meet  me,  until  the  setting  sun 
compelled  her  to  return  to  her  darkened  home. 

About  midnight,  she  heard  the  men  talking  in 
a  low  tone  in  the  piazza,  and  knew  by  this  that 
they  were  hesitating  from  sympathy  to  tell  her 
what  they  had  learned.  She  then  swooned  and  re- 
mained very  ill  until  Sunday,  believing  all  this 

165 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

time  that  I  had  been  murdered  by  the  Ebaddans 
and  my  body  given  to  the  wild  beasts.  It  is 
needless  to  describe  her  anguish  of  mind  during 
this  time.  One  vision  that  specially  tortured  her 
was  that  in  which  her  delirious  imagination  pic- 
tured the  hyenas  devouring  my  body. 

On  Sunday,  the  sixth  day  after  my  disappear- 
ance, after  Mr.  Phillips  had  given  up  all  hope  of 
her  recovery  and,  possibly,  just  in  time  to  save 
her  life,  Areh  hurriedly  sent  a  messenger  to  say 
that  I  was  alive  and  in  Ebaddan.  He  also  said 
that  Ebekoonleh  had  sent  word  to  Areh  that 
Ogumulla  wanted  to  kill  me  but  that  he  did  not 
intend  to  give  me  up.  This  was  all.  There  was 
no  assurance  that  I  would  be  allowed  to  return 
to  Ejahyay,  but  she  felt  certain  that  my  life 
would  be  spared  and  that  we  would  meet  again  in 
this  world  in  some  place  if  not  in  Ejahyay. 
Good  news  in  Africa  is  better  than  medicine  and 
she  began  to  convalesce  at  once  and  when  I 
arrived  unexpectedly  three  days  afterward,  she 
was  able  to  rise  from  her  bed  to  meet  me. 

The  manner  in  which  Areh  got  his  information 
concerning  my  safety  showed  that  he  still  held 
communication  with  the  governor  of  Ebaddan. 
The  man  who  acted  as  spy  on  this  occasion  told 
us  that  he  climbed  the  city  wall  and  then  went 

166 


Home  Again 

into  Ebekoonleh's  compound  by  a  secret  door  in 
the  rear. 

In  relating  this  story,  I  have  described  what  I 
felt,  not  what  I  ought  to  have  felt;  what  I  did, 
and  not  what  I  ought  to  have  done.  Possibly  if 
I  had  been  older,  I  would  have  acted  differently. 
But  the  discipline  was  not  altogether  thrown 
away  on  me,  for  it  proved  to  be  a  good  prep- 
aration for  the  trials  that  were  just  before  me. 


167 


XVIII 

OPENING  BATTLES  AROUND  EJAHYAY 

WHEN  Areh  heard  that  I  had  arrived,  he  sent 
to  say  that  he  would  not  eat  until  he  had  seen 
me.  This  was  equivalent  to  an  order.  I  was 
secretly  conducted  by  many  little  doors,  courts 
and  passages  to  the  centre  of  his  vast  compound. 
I  found  him  lying  on  a  mat  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree  attended  by  one  trusty  servant  only.  He 
questioned  me  very  closely  in  regard  to  what  I 
had  learned  of  Ogumulla's  intentions  and  about 
his  army.  Not  wishing  to  be  a  partisan  in  the 
matter  and  desirous  of  illustrating  a  Christian 
spirit  before  him,  I  respectfully  asked  him  to  ex- 
cuse me  from  giving  him  any  information  of  a 
military  character.  He  then  tried  to  make  me 
say  that  Ogumulla  was  a  very  bad  man,  but  I 
replied  that  we  were  all  wicked  in  the  sight  of 
God.  He  seemed  to  be  entirely  nonplussed,  and 
after  expressing  his  surprise  at  my  way  of 
putting  things,  he  dismissed  me  without  a  pres- 
ent. This  showed  that  he  was  not  at  all  pleased. 
But  I  did  not  feel  afraid  that  he  would  do  me  any 
harm.  He  did  not  look  at  any  time  as  he  did 

168 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

on  the  day  that  I  saw  him  so  angry  and  when 
he  probably  executed  a  man  with  his  own  hand. 
Yet  I  felt  relieved  when  I  got  safe  and  sound  out 
of  his  den,  for  I  was  still  weak  and  nervous. 

A  few  days  after  this,  we  noticed  that  the 
gates  of  the  town  were  closed  and  guarded,  and 
that  everything  was  strangely  quiet.  We  kept 
within  doors  and  awaited  developments.  The 
next  day  everything  was  reversed.  The  streets 
were  filled  with  merry  crowds,  and  sounds  of 
boisterous  revelry  came  from  the  houses.  Areh 
Argo  (the  chief  next  to  Areh}  taking  advantage 
of  his  master's  precarious  situation,  conspired 
to  wrest  from  him  some  of  the  power  he  had 
usurped.  Argo's  followers  seized  the  gates  and 
informed  Areh  that  unless  he  made  certain  con- 
cessions and  confirmed  them  by  giving  200  bags 
of  cowries  and  300  slaves  they  would  open  the 
gates  to  Ogumulla.  This  was  a  dangerous  thing 
to  do  to  such  a  man  and  the  masses  were  very 
uneasy  until  the  thing  was  settled.  Areh  pre- 
tended to  treat  the  whole  thing  as  a  good  joke, 
told  them  that  they  did  not  ask  enough, — and 
then  gave  them  much  more  than  they  required. 
Then  the  people  sent  word  to  him  that  they 
would  "fight  the  devil"  for  him.  The  money 
was  spent  in  feasting  and  revelry.  Thus  did  the 

169 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

poor  people  sell  their  homes  and  their  lives  for  a 
mess  of  pottage. 

About  ten  days  after  getting  home,  I  witnessed 
for  the  first  time  a  military  demonstration  in 
Central  Africa.  During  the  night  Areh  sent  out 
all  his  horsemen  supported  by  about  30,000  in- 
fantry, to  attack,  in  the  early  morning,  the  Ebad- 
dans  who  were  plundering  the  Ejahyay  farms. 
About  ten  o'clock,  they  returned  through  the 
gate  near  our  house  and  filed  past  the  yard  gate. 
Some  were  armed  with  swords  and  shields, 
some  with  bows  and  arrows,  others  with  great 
cross-bows,  but  the  greater  part  had  muskets.  It 
was  a  barbaric  host  of  very  warlike  men,  but 
they  did  not  look  as  merry  as  they  did  the  day 
they  sang  in  drunken  glee,  "We'll  fight  the  devil 
for  Areh."  Areh  Argo  mounted  on  a  beautiful 
Arabian  pranced  up  and  down,  reviewing  the 
line.  A  number  of  prisoners  and  of  men  carry- 
ing the  heads  of  Ebaddans  slain  in  the  fight,  pre- 
ceded the  flowing  tide  of  warriors.  Members  of 
the  same  family  were  on  different  sides  in  this 
war,  and  when  the  women  recognized  some  men 
connected  with  Ejahyay  families  among  the 
prisoners,  they  began  to  dance  and  to  sing,  say- 
ing, "Areh  will  make  a  pile  of  heads."  A  few 
days  after  this  I  passed  through  the  gate  leading 

170 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

to  Ebaddan  and  just  on  the  side  of  the  way  was 
a  heap  of  human  heads  arranged  like  cannon 
balls.  Areh  had  made  a  "pile  of  heads." 
Prisoners  not  natives  of  Ejahyay  were  sold  or 
redeemed  as  slaves. 

A  vast,  open,  grassy  plain  lay  on  the  Ebaddan 
side  of  the  town,  and  just  out  of  sight  over  a 
hillock,  the  Ebaddan  host  was  permanently  en- 
camped. They  were  waiting  the  new  moon  to 
begin  the  attack.  The  first  appearance  of  the 
slender  silver  crescent,  was  greeted  by  the  roar  of 
myriads  of  muskets,  the  fusilade  continuing  for 
many  minutes.  It  could  no  longer  be  concealed 
from  the  people  that  some  desperate  fighting  was 
before  them.  Five  days  were  given  by  the 
enemy  to  feasting,  then  early  one  morning  the 
sentinel's  gun  told  us  that  the  enemy  were  ap- 
proaching. They  filled  the  plain  for  many  miles 
and  were  a  terrible  sight. 

Ebekoonleh  had  been  brought  over  to  join  in 
the  war  and  commanded  a  strong  force  in  the 
centre.  Ogumulla  held  the  right  and  another 
powerful  subordinate  chief,  the  left,  with  corps 
equally  large.  Though  Ebekoonleh  was  nomi- 
nally commander-in-chief,  Ogumulla  was  the  lead- 
ing spirit.  He  could  be  easily  distinguished  from 
the  Ejahyay  lines  by  his  scarlet  robe  and  fine 

171 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

horse.  A  great  war-horn  was  loudly  praising 
him  and  breathing  out  threatenings  for  his  ene- 
mies. Areh's  drums  bid  him  fierce  defiance. 
Much  of  the  day  was  given  to  maneuvering  and 
getting  the  bushy,  grassy  plain  in  a  condition  for 
a  fight. 

In  the  stand-up  contest  which  followed,  lines 
of  men  several  abreast,  streamed  to  the  front, 
fired  and  then  turned  and  flowed  back  to  the 
rear.  They  thus  formed  an  endless  chain  from 
one  end  of  which  there  poured  a  constant  stream 
of  fire.  For  a  while  an  incessant  blaze  issued 
from  the  front  of  both  armies.  Wherever  the 
lines  of  battle  were  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
each  other,  the  work  was  quite  deadly,  but  out- 
side of  that  distance  the  fire  was  not  very  effec- 
tive. The  roar  of  the  muskets  was  deafening, 
and  the  ground  often  sensibly  vibrated.  Neither 
side  had  any  artillery,  but  the  sound  of  the  battle 
was  heard  in  Abeokuta,  two  days'  journey  away. 
A  creek  imbedded  in  high  grass  and  bushes,  lay 
between  the  opposing  forces,  and  each  com- 
mander tried  to  induce  his  opponent  to  cross 
first.  At  length  Areh's  officers  lost  control  of  the 
younger  and  more  reckless,  and  they  forced  one 
of  the  fords  and  drove  the  Ebaddans  back  for 
nearly  a  mile.  But  they  were  dreadfully  pun- 

172 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

ished.     That  evening  our  mission  yard  was  full 
of  the  wounded,  all  of  them  young  men. 

We  had  received  an  intimation  as  to  what  we 
might  expect  from  a  young  man  who  was  the 
first  to  come.  He  stepped  quietly  into  our 
piazza  without  saying  a  word.  This  was  so  un- 
usual that  I  desired  to  know  what  he  wanted. 
He  simply  raised  a  cloth  from  his  shoulders  ex- 
posing a  hole  in  the  centre  of  his  breast  from 
which  blood  was  trickling.  Before  we  coui 
give  him  any  relief,  the  wounded  began  to  corns 
in  such  numbers  that  my  wife  had  to  become, 
for  the  time  being,  a  hospital  nurse. 

We  did  all  we  could  for  them,  sewing  up  cuts, 
and  taking  out  bullets  and  broken  bones.  The 
bullets  were  of  iron  or  copper.  The  copper  bul- 
lets were  made  by  cutting  off  about  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  of  a  copper  rod  one-half  inch  in  diam- 
eter. These  produced  gangrene  and  were  much 
dreaded  by  the  soldiers. 

Although  the  enemy  were  held  in  check,  they 
were  not  discouraged,  for  they  had  just  begun  to 
fight.  Areh  did  not  praise  his  men  that  day,  be- 
cause they  had  run  over  their  officers  in  the  bat- 
tle. The  third  day  after  that  battle,  the  enemy 
reappeared  in  increased  numbers,  but  received  a 
signal  repulse,  the  more  remarkable  because  thev 

173 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

were  so  overwhelmingly  superior  in  numbers  to 
the  Ejahyay  people.  In  the  high  grass  on  the 
enemy's  right  flank,  Areh  posted  during  the 
night  about  ten  thousand  men  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  brave  and  faithful  Orgeh.  By  a 
pretended  retreat  next  morning,  he  drew  the 
enemy  across  the  creek  thus  exposing  their  flank 
and  rear  to  Orgeh's  furious  charge.  The  rout 
was  complete  and  Areh  galloped  up  and  down 
his  lines  shouting,  "Fight  for  your  wives  and 
your  children,  my  people.  It  is  hard  to  take  a 
man  in  his  own  house." 

One  of  the  most  famous  warriors  in  the  Ebad- 
dan  army  was  killed  in  this  battle,  and  Areh  had 
his  heart  taken  out,  broiled,  cut  into  little  pieces, 
and  then  distributed  among  his  generals  to  be 
eaten  by  them  to  make  them  brave  in  battle. 
This  was  the  only  instance  of  cannibalism  that  I 
heard  of  during  my  sojourn  in  Africa.  It  is  not 
impossible  that  there  was  cannibalism  during  the 
famine  which  at  one  time  attended  the  siege  of 
the  town. 

Three  more  pitched  battles  followed  in  quick 
succession,  the  Ebaddans  pressing  the  Ejahyay 
people  with  all  their  might  because  they  knew 
that  an  army  from  Abeokuta,  and  possibly  one 

from  Illorin,  was  coming  to  the  assistance  of  the 
174 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

besieged.  In  comparison  to  the  great  host  mar- 
shalled against  them,  the  Ejahyay  army  looked 
like  "a  little  flock  of  kids";  the  Ejahyay  people 
showed,  however,  no  sign  of  fear,  but  rather  ex- 
hibited wonderful  courage  and  patriotism.  The 
women  assembled  in  the  rear  of  the  line  of  battle 
with  water  and  provisions.  If  any  part  Of  the 
line  gave  away,  the  women  jeered  until  the  re- 
treating warriors  rallied.  The  men  often  dis- 
played Spartan-like  fortitude  when  wounded. 
While  I  was  attending  to  one  wounded  man, 
another  who  had  been  shot  in  the  eye  and  must 
have  been  suffering  intense  pain,  gave  several 
deep  groans.  Presently  the  other  impatiently 
exclaimed,  "Quit  that.  If  you  must  die,  die 
like  a  man."  The  poor  sufferer  writhed  several 
times  after  this  but  did  not  groan  again. 

But  nothing  could  have  saved  the  city  many 
days  longer,  when  the  scarlet  cloaks  of  Abeo- 
kutan  horsemen  appeared  on  the  hill  just  outside 
of  the  town.  The  intervening  strip  of  forest 
being  in  a  hollow,  the  opposite  hill  seen  above 
it,  seemed  to  be  very  close  to  us,  and  it  was  with 
much  joy  and  thankfulness  that  we  saw  them  file 
out  of  the  bushes  and  begin  to  prepare  the  camp 
for  the  coming  army.  Before  night,  the  whole 
hillside  was  black  with  men  working  like  bees, 

175 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

building  a  fortification  around  the  camping 
ground,  and  little  thatched  huts  for  tents.  About 
20,000  arrived  on  the  first  day  and  all  were  under 
the  command  of  the  Bashorun,  the  military  chief 
of  Abeokuta  and  a  man  of  royal  birth. 

So  soon  as  he  was  comfortably  settled  in  camp, 
he  received  a  visit  from  Areh  gorgeously  arrayed 
in  a  scarlet  robe  of  silk  velvet.  The  Bashorun 
was  dressed  in  flowered  silk  of  the  same  color. 
Both  wore  red  caps  of  velvet  ornamented  with 
gold  lace.  In  the  exuberance  of  his  joy  on  ac- 
count of  the  arrival  of  his  supposed  benefactor, 
Areh  danced  before  him ;  but  if  he  had  suspected 
the  motives  which  influenced  the  Bashorun  in 
coming,  he  would  not  have  been  quite  so  hilari- 
ous. Than  these  two,  it  is  hardly  possible  for 
two  men  to  have  been  more  unlike  in  character. 
Though  implacable  to  his  enemies,  Areh  was 
frank  and  generous  to  his  friends.  On  the  other 
hand  the  Bashorun  was  very  scheming,  covetous 
and  deceitful,  while  he  was  not  altogether  free 
from  the  charge  of  cruelty. 

The  mounted  scouts  of  the  Ebaddans  were 
bold  riders  and  often  performed  feats  of  impu- 
dent daring.  Just  outside  the  gate  leading  to 
the  battlefield  was  a  large  and  lofty  cottonwood 
tree  used  as  an  observatory  by  the  sentinel.  He 

176 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

would  ascend  to  the  top  of  this  and  on  seeing 
the  enemy  coming  in  any  dangerous  numbers, 
would  descend  and  fire  off  a  great  wall  musket 
that  made  a  report  something  like  a  small  cannon. 
One  day,  a  short  time  after  the  arrival  of  Areh's 
allies,  while  the  sentinel  was  up  the  tree,  a 
single  horseman  dashed  up  to  the  foot  of  it  and, 
after  enjoying  the  fright  and  surprise  of  his  cap- 
tive, coolly  sent  his  compliments  to  Areh,  con- 
gratulating him  on  account  of  his  guests  and 
saying  that  the  Ebaddans  would  whip  him. and 
his  visiting  friends,  too.  He  then  dashed  along 
in  front  of  the  Egba  camp,  yelling  defiance  at 
them.  Notwithstanding  he  was  so  provoking, 
we  could  not  help  laughing  at  his  humor. 

After  a  few  weeks'  delay,  the  allied  armies 
formed  a  junction  and  disappeared  over  the  hill 
in  search  of  the  Ebaddan  camp.  Areh  and  his 
people  had  become  impatient  on  account  of  the 
delay,  but  the  Bashorun  was  very  cautious  and 
hesitating.  He  seemed  to  favor  defensive  rather 
than  offensive  tactics.  But  they  disappeared 
over  the  hill  in  splendid  order  and  I  had  no  doubt 
but  that  the  battle  of  that  day  would  end  the 
war.  In  a  few  hours,  we  heard  that  the  enemy 
had  abandoned  their  camp  and  fled  to  Ebaddan 

and  other  places,  and  we  were  beginning  to  think 
177 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  war  would  end  without  another  battle,  when 
the  eastern  horizon  was  shaken  by  a  tremendous 
peal  of  distant  thunder  which  continued  to  re- 
verberate for  about  thirty  minutes.  Then  all  was 
silence.  I  thought  the  enemy  had  been  attacked 
in  the  rear  and  routed.  Again  the  roar  of  battle 
shook  the  eastern  horizon,  but  this  time  the  sound 
was  nearer.  I  had  gone  about  a  mile  in  the 
direction  of  the  sound  when  I  met  a  man  greatly 
exhausted  but  still  trying  to  run. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  I  enquired. 

"  Areh  orders  that  the  gates  shall  be  shut,"  he 
pantingly  replied. 

I  knew  then  that  the  allies  had  been  defeated 
and  were  not  only  retreating  but  running.  I  kept 
up  with  the  weary  courier  and  got  in  before  he 
shut  the  gate.  When  I  reached  the  mission  sta- 
tion, I  found  my  wife  alone  and  not  being  will- 
ing to  leave  her  thus  took  her  with  me  and 
started  out  in  the  town  toward  the  gate  of  the 
city  to  learn  what  I  could.  We  had  gone  only  a 
short  distance,  when  a  great  cry  of  lamentation 
through  the  whole  city,  showed  that  the  people 
had  given  themselves  up  for  lost.  I  then  hurried 
back  into  our  house.  We  had  hardly  gotten  in 
before  Mr.  Phillips,  all  the  inmates  of  the  station, 
and  many  of  the  converts  came  running  in.  We 

178 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

all  fell  on  our  knees  while  Mr.  Phillips  briefly  but 
fervently  supplicated  God's  protection  in  this 
hour  of  peril. 

Just  then  many  of  the  panic-stricken  Abeo- 
kutans,  some  of  them  desperately  wounded, 
rushed  into  the  mission  yard.  All  that  could 
fight,  we  succeeded  in  rallying  and  in  persuading 
to  take  a  stand  at  the  city  gate.  But  fortunately, 
the  Ebaddans  were  so  much  encumbered  with 
their  prisoners  that  they  did  not  press  the  siege 
that  time,  and  when  the  sun  went  down  not  an 
enemy  was  in  sight.  By  morning  the  defeated 
allies  had  somewhat  recovered  from  their  de- 
moralized condition.  Some,  however,  continued 
their  flight  to  Abeokuta,  and  a  few  crazed  by 
their  experience  that  day,  did  not  stop  until  they 
reached  Lagos.  It  was,  indeed,  a  very  appalling 
disaster. 

The  Ebaddans,  each  one  with  a  fillet  of  grass 
around  his  cap  to  distinguish  him  from  his  foes, 
had  spread  themselves  out  for  several  miles  and 
hid  ir>  the  tall  grass  or  canebrake  of  a  small 
stream.  In  some  way  they  succeeded  in  lulling 
the  suspicions  of  the  allies  and  their  charge  took 
them  entirely  by  surprise.  They  made  a  brave 
stand  for  a  while  and  then  broke.  Areh  suc- 
ceeded in  rallying  some  of  them  and  in  holding 

179 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  enemy  in  check  for  a  few  minutes,  but  finally 
everything  gave  away  and  the  whole  plain  from 
there  to  Ejahyay  was  covered  with  a  confused 
mass  of  men  fighting  in  all  sorts  of  ways,  even 
with  sticks  and  rocks.  Swords  were  used  very 
freely.  The  flesh  had  been  peeled  off  from  one 
man's  neck  from  his  ear  to  his  shoulder  by  a 
sword  cut.  We  pasted  it  back  with  sticking 
plaster  after  sewing  it  a  little,  and  he  got  well. 
I  took  a  bone  from  the  wrist  of  another  where  it 
had  been  nearly  severed  by  a  sword-cut.  This 
man  afterward  rendered  me  an  important  service 
as  a  reward  but  of  this  I  will  speak  later. 

A  man  told  me  that  after  he  had  been  taken 
prisoner,  he  threw  his  captor  down  and  killed 
him  by  choking  him  and  cramming  earth  down 
his  throat.  But  the  melee  was  not  without  its 
comic  side.  One  of  the  men  was  heard  begging, 
"Spare  me!  Spare  me!"  and  when  one  of  his 
companions  ran  to  his  assistance,  he  found  that 
the  humble  suppliant  was  held,  not  by  an 
Ebaddan,  but  by  a  bush. 

The  night  after  the  defeat  was  one  of  great 
gloom.  The  whole  city,  including  the  mission 
station,  was  filled  with  mourning  for  the  dead  or 
the  missing.  Enigbio,  the  chief  messenger,  who 
had  two  little  children  with  us,  was  shot  dead  on 

180 


Opening  Battles  around  Ejahyay 

the  field.  It  was  very  touching  to  see  the  little 
ones  wipe  the  tears  from  each  other's  eyes  as  they 
wept.  There  was  also  great  sorrow  in  the  Egbar 
or  Abeokuta  camp,  and  trumpets  were  wailing  all 
night  calling  the  names  of  the  missing  in  the 
hope  that  they  might  be  hid  in  the  "bush"  and 
be  directed  by  the  sound  to  the  camp.  All  the 
officers  and  chiefs  who  were  taken  alive,  if  recog- 
nized, had  been  immediately  slain ;  but  the  other 
prisoners  were  either  redeemed  by  their  rich 
friends  or  sold  as  slaves. 


181 


XIX 

WORSHIPPING  THE  DEAD  PRINCE 

THE  conduct  of  the  Bashorun  on  the  battlefield 
had  been  so  wanting  in  courage  that  the  women 
of  Ejahyay  began  to  make  songs  about  him.  To 
prevent  a  breach  between  him  and  the  Bashorun, 
Areh  ordered  these  songs  to  cease. 

After  waiting  long  enough  to  dispose  of  their 
prisoners  the  enemy  again  appeared  perceptibly 
increased  in  numbers,  and  advanced  to  attack  the 
Egbar  camp,  but  Areh  frightened  them  by  an- 
other flank  movement  and  they  fell  back  to  the 
old  battle  ground.  We  were  thus  spared  the 
sight  of  a  battle  right  in  front  of  our  door.  We 
could  easily  see  the  Egbars  as  they  lay  in  the 
trenches  of  the  camp  waiting  the  approaching 
Ebaddans,  and  would  have  witnessed  all  the  in- 
cidents connected  with  the  assault. 

For  a  week  the  two  armies  skirmished,  each 
trying  to  induce  the  other  to  begin  the  attack; 
then  Ogumulla,  becoming  impatient,  took  an 
oath  that  he  would  enter  Ejahyay  on  a  certain 
day.  On  the  morning  of  that  day  he  offered  up 
a  great  sacrifice,  the  smoke  of  which  ascended 

182 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

like  a  great,  white  pillar  from  the  plain  in  the 
rear  of  the  Ebaddan  host.  It  took  him  until  four 
o'clock,  to  get  his  unwieldy  masses  in  fighting 
order,  and  then  the  charge  was  sounded  all 
along  the  line.  The  lines  of  the  allies  were  like 
a  solid  wall.  They  redeemed  their  prestige  lost 
in  the  last  defeat,  displaying  wonderful  courage, 
for  they  were  outnumbered  at  least  three  to  one. 
For  several  hours  it  was  like  a  volcano  in  erup- 
tion, and  when  night  came  on  and  the  lurid 
flames  of  the  blazing  muskets  lit  up  the  mass  of 
white  sulphurous  smoke  that  hung  over  the 
plain  and  city,  the  scene  was  truly  appalling, 
made  even  more  so  by  the  fact  that  the  com- 
batants were  yelling  with  all  their  might  the 
whole  time.  The  allies  humiliated  and  incensed 
by  their  recent  rout  pressed  closer  and  closer 
until  in  some  places  the  bright  threads  of  fire 
seemed  to  cross  each  other.  At  length  the 
astonished  Ebaddans,  no  longer  able  to  stand 
before  a  fire  so  galling,  broke  and  fled  in  dismay, 
pursued  for  a  mile  or  more  by  the  exultant  allies, 
whose  fire  did  not  slacken  to  the  last. 

After  this  unexpected  display  of  spirit  on  the 
part  of  the  besieged,  the  enemy  changed  their 
tactics  and  tried  to  weaken  them  by  cutting  off 
their  supplies  of  salt,  for  they  knew  that  food 

183 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

was  of  no  use  in  this  climate  without  this  in- 
dispensable ingredient.  But  the  people  of  Ejah- 
yay  were  now  starving  by  hundreds.  The  sup- 
plies brought  from  Abeokuta  by  military  caravans 
were  used  only  for  military  purposes,  and  the 
poor  who  could  not  secretly  escape  from  the 
town,  were  left  to  miserably  perish.  For  some 
reason  many  preferred  to  die  on  the  bank  of  the 
creek  where  it  flowed  through  a  grove  near  the 
gate  in  front  of  the  station.  Every  day  a  num- 
ber of  living  skeletons  would  totter  and  stagger 
along  the  way  by  our  yard  to  reach  this  hallowed 
spot  that  they  might  lie  down  and  die  there. 
After  death  they  would  look  like  mummies,  and 
the  Egbar  soldiers  would  throw  their  dry  and 
wasted  forms  in  heaps  on  each  side  of  the  path 
leading  to  their  camp. 

Than  this  famine,  in  all  its  circumstances,  I 
never  saw  anything  more  pitiful.  At  first,  I  took 
a  portion  of  the  food  I  happened  to  have  each 
day  and  standing  by  the  side  of  the  path,  would 
try  to  induce  the  starving  to  eat  a  little,  but  they 
would  look  at  me  with  a  vacant  stare  showing 
that  they  were  unconscious  and  too  far  gone  to  be 
benefited  by  human  aid. 

The  famine  and  suffering  among  the  people 
failed  to  enlist  any  sympathy  from  those  in 

184 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

power,  yet  scenes  would  always  occur  at  the 
gate  when  a  military  caravan  was  leaving  for 
Abeokuta  which  ought  to  have  moved  to  com- 
passion the  hardest  heart.  Large  numbers  of 
these  poor  people  who  knew  what  their  fate 
would  be  if  they  did  not  get  away,  would 
gather  at  the  gate  and  piteously  beg  to  be 
allowed  to  go  along  with  the  others.  Some- 
times they  would  try  to  force  their  way  through 
and  be  dreadfully  beaten  and  even  killed  by  the 
soldiers  guarding  the  gate. 

I  was  never  able  to  wholly  understand  why 
they  were  detained,  but  thought  at  the  time  it 
was  because  if  they  let  the  poor  and  aged  go 
away  they  would  have  to  let  many  go  away 
whom  they  intended  to  seize  and  sell  on  some 
pretext  or  other'  to  obtain  means  to  carry  on  the 
war.  By  being  detained,  also,  multitudes  of  the 
people  of  Ejahyay  were  compelled  to  put  their 
children  in  pawn  to  the  Egbar  warriors.  These 
children  were  then  sent  to  Abeokuta  and  kept  in 
slavery  until  the  redemption  price  was  paid.  In 
most  cases  it  was  never  paid. 

Many  persons  brought  their  children  to  us  with 
the  request  that  we  would  take  care  of  them 
until  the  war  was  over.  We  were  very  glad  to 
make  this  arrangement,  for  by  it  many  children 

185 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

were  brought  from  under  the  influence  of  pagan- 
ism and  put  under  the  influence  of  the  gospel  at 
a  very  receptive  age.  As  we  would  not  be  able 
to  sustain  so  many  children  in  this  famine- 
stricken  town,  it  was  decided  that  Mr.  Phillips 
should  take  most  of  the  children  and  go  to 
Abeokuta,  while  I  would  remain  in  charge  at 
Ejahyay,  retaining  my  wife's  little  waiting  maid 
and  some  of  the  children  whose  parents  were  not 
willing  for  them  to  leave  Ejahyay.  Mr.  Phillips 
succeeded  in  getting  them  all  safe  to  Abeokuta, 
but  some  of  them  were  laid  up  for  some  time 
from  exhaustion,  for  the  soldiers  moved  rapidly 
in  these  military  caravans.  Thus  originated  a 
native  orphanage  which  afterward  became  an 
important  centre  of  Christian  influence  among 
the  people  of  Yoruba. 

As  the  famine  increased,  many  little  home- 
less, starving  wanderers  came  into  the  mission 
compound  at  Ejahyay.  Some  of  them  appeared  to 
be  demented  by  sickness  and  hunger,  and  when 
we  were  not  watching,  returned  to  the  streets  to 
perish.  Those  whom  we  could  get  to  remain, 
we  nursed  into  health  and  then  sent  them  to 
Abeokuta  in  baskets  on  the  heads  of  soldiers.  In 
this  way,  I  sent  down  about  seventy  more  chil- 
dren to  be  placed  at  the  orphanage.  Of  these, 

18G 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

we  will  hear  more  later  on,  but  starvation  had  so 
broken  the  health  of  some  of  them  that  they  soon 
pined  away  and  died.  Only  seventy  remained 
when  I  reached  Abeokuta  about  eight  months 
later. 

Under  very  trying  circumstances,  the  care  of 
an  important  mission  station  had  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly  devolved  upon  me,  but  I  had  an 
excellent  interpreter  who  was  always  faithful  to 
me,  and  I  could  now  speak  the  language  very 
well  for  ordinary  purposes  myself.  I  instructed 
and  encouraged  the  converts  the  best  I  could,  and 
whenever  her  health  or  the  condition  of  things 
would  allow  it,  my  wife  continued  to  teach  the 
children.  Whoever  had  food  in  the  town  kept 
it  concealed,  but  as  long  as  there  was  any  in  town 
to  spare,  I  was  able  to  buy  a  little  on  the  sly,  the 
people  who  sold,  bringing  it  in  the  night.  Once 
I  was  entirely  out  of  cowries  and  had  nothing 
that  anybody  in  town  wanted  to  buy.  In  special 
prayer,  I  bid  the  matter  before  the  Lord,  and  that 
day  a  man  came  from  the  Egbar  camp  and  of- 
fered to  buy  the  colt  of  my  wife's  riding  mare. 
The  sum  that  this  brought  lasted  us  for  some 
time.  We  had  some  rice  and  some  arrowroot. 
We  also  had  plenty  of  sugar,  tomatoes  and 
oranges.  We  preserved  the  tomatoes  and  ate 

187 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

them  with  the  rice.  We  made  some  of  the  ar- 
rowroot into  battercakes,  but  they  were  rather 
sticky  and  tough.  Mr.  Phillips  was  able  to  send 
us  some  flour  once.  I  sent  to  Areh  for  help  only 
once.  He  sent  me  a  small  quantity  of  worm- 
eaten  corn  with  a  message  that  showed  he  was 
not  pleased  with  me  about  something. 

But  Arch's  great  power  in  Ejahyay  was  now 
broken,  and  he  had  practically  become  a  subject 
of  the  scheming  Bashorun,  and  I  had  unwittingly 
given  assistance  to  the  conspiracy  through  which 
this  change  had  taken  place.  It  was  in  this  way. 
After  Mr.  Phillips  left,  the  Bashorun  made  fre- 
quent calls  at  the  mission  house.  On  the  first 
occasion,  he  was  mounted  on  a  large  fiery  horse 
and  dressed  in  his  most  splendid  habiliments  of 
state.  Black  ostrich  plumes  waved  from  his  shoes 
and  his  gold-laced  cap.  He  was  attended  not 
only  by  officers  of  his  household,  but  by  a  body- 
guard of  soldiers.  I  received  him  in  all  the  state 
I  could  muster,  and  when  he  departed  presented 
him  with  a  dish  large  enough  to  hold  a  roasted 
wild  boar.  This  visit  was  to  break  the  ice.  Of 
course,  I  had  to  return  it.  A  few  days  after  this, 
my  wife  and  I  arrayed  in  our  best  but  rather 
time-worn  clothes,  paid  our  respects  to  his  High- 
ness in  camp.  He  gave  us  a  most  condescend- 

188 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

ing  reception,  and  when  we  left,  walked  some 
distance  by  my  side  in  the  sight  of  the  whole 
army,  a  courtesy  he  rarely  extended  to  anybody. 
I  was  greatly  puzzled  to  know  what  all  this 
meant,  for  I  could  not  imagine  how  I  could  be 
of  service  to  him  in  any  way  which  would  lead 
to  so  much  affability  on  his  part  at  a  time  when 
he  had  me  and  everybody  in  Ejahyay  from  Areh 
down,  so  absolutely  in  his  power. 

A  few  nights  after  this,  when  I  was  about  to 
retire,  I  heard  a  gentle  knock  at  the  door.  I  cau- 
tiously opened  it  and  found  the  Bashorun  dressed 
as  a  common  soldier  standing  before  me.  He 
had  only  two  attendants,  and  they  were  dressed 
like  himself.  After  talking  a  while,  he  requested 
that  I  would  allow  my  interpreter  to  act  as  his 
private  secretary  and  write  a  letter  for  him.  To 
this  I  readily  consented,  of  course.  He  made 
several  visits  like  this,  each  time  calling  for  my 
interpreter  to  act  as  his  amanuensis.  I  knew 
that  the  letters  were  addressed  to  the  king  of 
Abeokuta  but,  supposing  that  they  had  reference 
only  to  military  arrangements,  I  did  not  inquire 
of  my  interpreter  as  to  their  contents.  I  do  not 
know  whether  they  were  written  in  English  or 
Yoruba,  but  that  was  immaterial  for  the  king's 
private  secretary  was  a  Sierra  Leone  man  and 

189 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

could  read  and  write  both  languages.  I  found 
out,  however,  that  one  of  the  letters  began, 
"There  is  a  great  cotton  wood  tree  in  our  way, 
and  we  must  cut  it  down,"  and  my  interpreter 
hinted  that  Areh  was  the  cottonwood  tree. 

I  had  often  wondered  what  the  inducement 
was  that  led  the  Bashorun  to  come  to  the  aid  of 
Ejahyay,  and  I  now  understood  the  whole  matter. 
All  who  witnessed  the  last  battle  knew  that  it 
was  the  steadiness  of  the  Egbars  that  had  saved 
the  city,  and  that  battle  dated  the  beginning  of 
the  wily  Bashorun's  efforts  to  accomplish  com- 
pletely the  mission  upon  which  he  had  come — 
the  absorption  of  Ejahyay  and  its  dependencies 
as  a  part  of  his  personal  possessions.  He  was  of 
royal  descent,  and  he  claimed  with  some  show  of 
plausibility  that  Ejahyay  was  a  part  of  his  ances- 
tral inheritance. 

After  the  king  had  agreed  to  everything,  the 
Bashorun  proceeded  to  cut  the  cottonwood  tree 
down.  He  called  a  meeting  of  the  Ogbonees,  a 
powerful  and  secret  society  to  which  many  of 
the  most  influential  of  the  Ejahyay  chiefs  be- 
longed, and  obtained  a  decree  conferring  some 
high  title  of  honor  on  one  of  Arch's  generals. 
This  was  the  first  stroke  of  the  axe.  Areh  scorn- 
fully refused  to  acknowledge  any  title  not  con- 

190 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

ferred  by  himself,  and  he  practically  executed  his 
general  for  accepting  it  by  exposing  him  to 
certain  death  in  battle.  All  this  worked  exactly 
in  the  Bashorun's  hands.  One  very  dark  night, 
all  the  Ogbonee  elders,  including  many  of  the 
most  powerful  men  of  both  armies,  met  under 
the  cottonwood  tree  standing  just  outside  the 
gate,  and  sent  a  peremptory  order  to  Areh  to 
appear  immediately  before  them.  As  they  evi- 
dently meant  to  put  him  to  death,  he  refused  to 
obey  but  at  the  same  time  showed  a  disposition 
to  make  every  concession  possible  by  sending 
200  bags  of  cowries  and  300  slaves.  From  that 
night,  the  Bashorun  was  the  real  ruler  of  Ejahyay ; 
for  Areh  did  not  dare  to  disobey  any  decree  of 
the  Ogbonees,  and  they  decreed  in  this  particular 
matter  whatever  the  Bashorun  desired. 

Whenever  any  one  disobeys  or  offends  the 
Ogbonees,  the  executioner  of  the  lodge  requires 
him  to  eat  a  poisoned  cola-nut  in  the  presence  of 
the  lodge.  When  this  is  done,  he  is  told  to  go 
home  and  put  his  house  in  order  by  the  time  the 
Ogbonees  come  to  seize  his  property.  I  have 
always  believed  that  this  was  to  have  been  done 
with  Areh,  but  as  they  could  not  get  him  into 
their  power  without  violence,  I  suspect  they 
ordered  him  to  commit  suicide.  In  this  way 

191 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

only  can  I  account  for  his  insane  rashness  on  the 
battlefield  soon  after  this  event.  The  two  armies 
were  skirmishing  very  heavily  when  Areh  with 
all  his  slaves  charged  suddenly  right  into  the 
blazing  muskets  of  Ogumulla's  centre.  Un- 
suspicious of  anything  of  the  kind,  I  happened  to 
be  looking  at  him  at  the  time.  Then  followed 
one  of  the  most  exciting  events  I  ever  witnessed 
on  a  battlefield.  A  simultaneous  yell  went  up 
from  both  armies,  there  was  a  wild  rush  of 
thousands  of  men  to  that  point  and  a  desperate 
hand-to-hand  conflict,  while  the  muskets  crashed 
all  along  the  line.  The  enemy  were  driven  back, 
and  Areh  was  brought  out  apparently  unhurt, 
but  his  beautiful  Arabian  war  horse  was  covered 
with  blood.  I  do  not  think  he  ever  again  ap- 
peared on  the  battlefield. 

Some  months  after  this  and  after  I  had  left  for 
Abeokuta,  he  died  either  from  the  effects  of 
wounds  received  on  this  occasion  or  from  poison 
administered  secretly  by  the  orders  of  the 
Ogbonees.  My  interpreter  told  me  that  during 
the  last  week  of  his  life  Areh  repeatedly  sent  for 
me  and  repeatedly  enquired  when  I  would  return. 
What  he  wished,  I  could  never  learn,  but  I  have 
sometimes  thought  it  might  have  been  a  merciful 
providence  that  took  me  to  Abeokuta  before  he. 

193 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

died.  In  his  last  hours  he  possibly  wished  to 
wreak  his  vengeance  on  me  for  my  supposed 
complicity  in  the  conspiracy  against  him.  But  it 
may  have  been  otherwise.  He  may  have  wished 
to  tell  me  that  he  believed  the  gospel  and  had 
repented  of  his  sins. 

An  event  almost  as  strange  as  this  would  have 
been,  did  actually  occur  a  short  time  before  I  left 
Ejahyay.  A  man  named  Ardayloo,  an  officer  in 
the  Egbar  army,  was  taken  very  sick  and  sent  for 
me.  He  informed  me  that  he  had  been  a  neigh- 
bor of  the  missionary  of  the  American  Baptist 
Mission  in  Abeokuta,  and  that  he  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  his  house.  He  had  learned  to  know, 
he  said,  that  the  white  man  was  kind,  and  he  had 
sent  to  me  for  medical  assistance.  Seeing  that 
he  was  very  ill,  I  persuaded  his  men  to  bring  him 
to  the  mission  compound,  and  I  had  him  put  in  a 
room  of  the  native  department. 

After  a  few  days,  it  was  evident  that  he  would 
die.  When  he  realized  this,  he  sent  for  some  of 
his  men  and  confessed  to  them  in  my  presence 
that  he  was  a  believer  in  "Yasu  Christee"  and 
that  he  had  not  personally  sacrificed  to  his  peo- 
ple's gods  for  several  years.  He  requested  them 
to  give  his  body  to  me  to  be  buried  according  to 
Christian  rites  and  to  surrender  his  personal 

193 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

effects  to  the  Ogbonees  that  they  might  take 
what  it  pleased  them  to  confiscate.  The  em- 
barrassed but  sardonic  grin  with  which  the 
leader  of  the  men  heard  these  words  is  still 
vividly  pictured  on  my  imagination. 

After  they  had  gone  out,  he  made  a  full  con- 
fession of  his  sin  in  hesitating  to  confess  Christ  be- 
fore his  family  and  his  people,  describing  the 
great  trouble  in  which  such  a  course  would  have 
involved  him  with  the  Ogbonees  and  with  his 
kindred.  He  then  prayed  that  the  Lord  would 
forgive  him  for  his  timidity  in  neglecting  to  con- 
fess him  before  men  until  now  and  asked  to  see 
the  book  that  told  about  "Yasu."  One  was 
placed  in  his  hand.  He  looked  at  it  for  a  while 
and  then  exclaimed  in  a  kind  of  rapture,  his 
countenance  lighting  up  suddenly  as  if  he  saw 
something  that  greatly  rejoiced  him,  "Yasu, 
ewaw  ne  Olugbalah  me!  ewaw  ne  Olugbalah 
me! "  (Jesus,  thou  art  my  Saviour!  Thou  art  my 
Saviour!)  He  continued  to  look  at  the  book 
until  it  dropped  from  his  hand  and  then  his  eyes 
closed  as  he  faintly  said,  "  Amee  law  elay  "  (I  am 
going  home).  It  was  like  a  bright  shining  light 
from  heaven  in  the  midst  of  the  dense  spiritual 
darkness  of  paganism.  If  that  missionary  had 
done  nothing  more  than  lead  this  poor  heathen 

194 


Worshipping  the  Dead  Prince 

into  ' '  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ "  he  would  have 
been  amply  compensated  for  all  that  he  suffered 
while  in  Africa.  He  doubtless  never  knew  any- 
thing about  the  conversion  of  this  man  until  he 
met  him  in  heaven.  And  many  other  mission- 
aries may  expect  the  same  experience.  They 
must  work  and  wait.  God  will  give  the  increase 
when  it  pleases  Him,  but  it  will  certainly  come 
sometime  and  that  when  it  is  best  that  it  should 
come.  If  there  are  those  who  are  skeptical  on 
this  subject,  it  is  all  the  worse  for  them.  We 
cannot  but  believe  what  we  see  and  hear.  I 
made  his  coffin  with  my  own  hands  and  buried 
him  by  the  side  of  Mr.  Phillips'  wife.  Not  one 
of  his  people  honored  his  memory  with  their 
presence  on  this  occasion. 

A  few  weeks  after  this,  I  witnessed  another 
burial  ceremony  of  a  very  different  kind  on  the 
same  spot.  Bashorun's  heir  was  desperately 
wounded  and  brought  to  me  in  the  mission  com- 
pound. Nothing  could  be  done  for  him  and  he 
died  as  the  heathen  die — without  a  ray  of  light 
from  the  other  world.  His  body  was  wrapped 
in  costly  silk  and  lay  in  state  until  night.  Then 
the  Ogbonees  came  and  carried  it  to  a  grave  that 

had  been  dug  for  it  near  that  of  Ardayloo's.    As 
195 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

a  mark  of  respect  to  the  Bashorun,  I  had  fol- 
lowed, but  when  my  presence  was  discovered,  I 
was  politely  informed  that  the  ceremonies  which 
had  now  begun  could  not  be  witnessed  by  any 
but  an  Ogbonee  and  I  was  not  favored  with  a 
view  of  the  ceremony  in  full.  In  about  thirty 
minutes,  the  "mysteries"  were  finished,  and 
Prince  and  subject  were  sleeping  side  by  side 
waiting  the  judgment  day.  Let  us  feel  thankful 
that  all  judgment  is  in  the  hands  of  a  merciful 
Creator,  but  what  disciple  of  Jesus  does  not  feel 
that  everything  possible  should  be  done  to  scatter 
the  darkness  which  hung  over  the  grave  of  that 
heathen  prince  with  the  heavenly  light  that  glori- 
fied the  face  of  the  dying  Ardayloo. 

The  next  morning  the  younger  brother,  attended 
by  a  bodyguard,  came  to  the  grave  and  prayed  to 
the  spirit  of  his  dead  brother,  kneeling  down  and 
audibly  asking  for  protection  in  battle  and  success 
in  the  affairs  of  life.  After  their  young  master 
had  finished  his  supplications,  the  soldiers  stood 
in  a  line  and  fired  a  volley  over  the  grave. 


190 


XX 

LEAVING  THE  DOOMED  CITY 

THE  scenes  through  which  we  had  been  pass- 
ing for  a  year  were  beginning  to  tell  seriously  on 
my  wife's  health.  Outside  our  faith,  we  had  lit- 
tle to  cheer  us.  Daylight  brought  battles,  blood 
and  suffering,  night  brought  alarms.  While 
awake,  we  were  in  a  constant  suspense  which 
was  very  trying  on  a  female  constitution  in  this 
climate.  The  faith  of  the  converts  during  all 
this  ordeal  was  as  simple  as  that  of  children,  yet 
it  made  them  giants  in  the  strength  of  their 
characters.  It  was,  indeed,  an  impressive  object 
lesson. 

We  had  to  give  up  everything  like  domestic 
order.  Except  in  the  seclusion  of  our  sleeping 
apartment,  privacy  was  impossible.  Visitors  and 
wounded  soldiers  were  always  in  and  about  the 
house,  and  we  encouraged  them  to  come.  We 
wanted  them  to  feel  that  we  and  everything  we 
had  were  at  their  service,  to  see  in  us  as  much  as 
possible  the  spirit  and  character  of  our  divine 
Master. 

For  more  than  thirty  days  at  a  time  of  great 

1OT 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

fighting  and  tumult  my  wife  was  extremely  ill. 
She  was  beginning  to  have  chills  every  six  hours 
when  the  disease  yielded  to  remedies.  Her  re- 
covery, under  the  circumstances,  was  almost  mi- 
raculous; for  she  would  often  have  to  listen  all 
day  to  the  roar  of  battle,  not  knowing  but  that 
before  night  the  Ebaddans  would  be  in  town, 
plundering,  burning  and  murdering.  One  dark 
night,  we  had  a  most  appalling  alarm  from 
which  sleep  kindly  delivered  her.  Without  the 
slightest  premonition,  the  crash  of  hundreds  of 
muskets  simultaneously  shook  the  air.  The 
sound  seemed  to  be  just  outside  our  yard.  Im- 
mediately the  whole  town  and  camp  were  in  an 
uproar,  the  men  yelling  and  the  women  wailing. 
I  learned  afterward  that  it  was  a  demonstration 
of  the  Ebaddans  to  find  out  whether  the  Egbars 
were  in  their  camp  or  not.  They  had  been  in- 
formed that  the  Egbars  had  fled  to  Abeokuta. 

When  my  wife  had  fully  recovered,  it  seemed 
to  be  my  duty  to  take  her  to  Abeokuta  as  soon  as 
possible.  The  Bashorun  still  continued  to  make 
us  informal  visits,  more  for  the  sweets  we  gave 
him  than  anything  else,  I  suppose.  It  was  my 
duty  to  present  him  with  something,  however 
small,  whenever  he  came,  and  I  finally  satisfied 
him  with  some  tomato  preserves  or  "  white 

193 


Leaving  the  Doomed  City 

man's  honey  "  as  he  called  them.  He  would  eat 
so  much  of  these  that  I  would  have  to  give  him  a 
dose  of  medicine  almost  large  enough  for  a  horse 
to  cure  him.  I  learned  through  him  that  he  had 
established  a  strong  force  in  a  fortified  camp  half- 
way to  Abeokuta  and  that  in  this  way  his  cara- 
vans were  so  well  protected  travelling  to  Abeo- 
kuta in  them  was  reasonably  safe. 

The  camp  was  situated  between  two  moun- 
tains where  the  Ogun  river  cuts  its  way  through 
them.  It  is  one  of  the  wildest  spots  I  ever  saw. 
From  this  camp  scouts  went  out  and  scoured  the 
forests  between  that  place  and  Ejahyay  every 
day,  and  the  Bashorun  always  knew  when  it  was 
safe  to  start  a  caravan  for  supplies.  I  told  him 
of  my  purpose  to  go  to  Abeokuta  and  requested 
him  to  let  me  know  when  it  seemed  to  be  safe 
for  me  to  do  so,  and  to  furnish  me  with  the 
needed  carriers.  This,  after  a  little  delay,  he 
promised  to  do,  and  I  began  at  once  to  prepare 
for  the  journey,  the  converts  received  permission 
to  accompany  me.  I  was  not  willing  to  go 
without  them  for  I  knew  that  the  town  would 
certainly  be  taken  and  there  was  no  reason  why 
they  should  remain  unless  they  were  capable  of 
bearing  arms.  Those  that  now  remained  were 
either  widows  or  children.  The  Bashorun,  there- 

199 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

fore,  had  no  excuse  for  detaining  either  them  or 
me. 

The  military  caravans  always  started  early  in 
the  morning  with  a  great  rush,  and  they  travelled 
very  rapidly  in  a  kind  of  "quick-step"  so  as  to 
reach  Okee-Magee  (two  mountains),  the  fortified 
camp,  before  night.  It  was  decided,  therefore, 
that  I  should  pass  my  last  night  in  the  Egbar 
camp,  the  Bashorun  guaranteeing  protection  not 
only  for  my  wife  and  self,  but  for  the  converts 
and  children.  We  waited  until  dark  and  then 
swiftly  and  silently  left  the  mission  yard  for  the 
camp.  It  resembled  a  funeral,  and  before  order- 
ing the  start,  I  went  hastily  back  into  my  room 
and  fell  on  my  knees  in  the  dark  and  fervently 
prayed  in  a  few  words  for  the  doomed  city. 
PoorEjahyay!  Before  many  months  had  passed 
there  was  nothing  left  of  it  but  blackened  ruins, 
the  homes  of  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest.  In 
this  great  solitude  of  forest  and  jungle  myriads 
who  rejected  the  gospel  now  sleep  in  death 
awaiting  the  resurrection  of  the  judgment  day. 
Then  it  may  be  found  that  there  were  some  poor 
timid  souls  who  lived  and  died  in  a  faith  which 
only  Jesus  saw.  There  must  have  been  more 
than  one  Ardayloo  in  all  Yoruba. 

I  felt  quite  secure  in  camp,  but  did  not  sleep 

200 


Leaving  the  Doomed  City 

much.  During  the  night  the  younger  warriors 
engaged  in  a  war  dance,  moving  in  a  circle  and 
chanting  a  tune  indescribably  weird.  In  the 
dance  they  would  strike  each  other  with  clubs 
smeared  with  the  war  "medicine"  of  each 
dancer.  Whoever  was  least  hurt  by  morning, 
was  supposed  to  have  the  strongest  "  medicine." 
Some  of  them  were  badly  hurt  by  the  poison,  but 
I  do  not  think  that  any  of  them  died  from  the 
effects  of  this  hideous  carousal.  Because  of  the 
attention  I  had  shown  to  her  wounded  son,  the 
Bashorun's  head  wife  did  us  the  honor  to  come 
into  our  little  room  and  personally  see  that  we 
were  as  comfortable  as  the  circumstances  would 
admit.  She  conducted  herself  with  much  dig- 
nity, but  appeared  to  be  very  sad. 

During  the  night,  some  of  the  soldiers  fired  on 
a  leopard  which  was  prowling  around  the  camp. 
On  account  of  the  number  of  the  dead  people, 
the  hyenas  had  revelled  every  night,  but  the 
armies  had  either  driven  away  or  destroyed 
much  of  the  prey  of  the  leopards,  arid  hunger 
was  beginning  to  make  them  very  bold  both  in 
the  mission  yard  and  in  the  camp.  The  Bash- 
orun  had  had  a  rather  startling  adventure  a  few 
nights  before.  The  old  gentleman  was  very 

fond  of  chicken  in  his  "palaver  sauce"  and  so 
201 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

were  all  his  "boys,"  especially  in  time  of  war 
when  delicacies  were  scarce.  He  knew  that 
while  his  life  was  safe  in  the  hands  of  his 
"boys,"  the  lives  of  his  favorite  birds  were  not. 
So  he  always  slept  near  the  door  of  his  low  tent 
with  the  basket  of  chickens  hanging  just  within. 
Not  finding  any  nobler  game,  a  leopard  crept  up 
and  had  his  neck  stretched  out  over  the  ponder- 
ous form  of  the  Bashorun,  trying  to  get  a  mouth- 
ful of  chickens,  when  he  touched  the  sleeper  and 
waked  him.  A  loud  yell  from  the  Bashorun 
brought  some  soldiers  to  his  assistance  and  saved 
the  chickens  and  their  owner.  The  disappointed 
beast  retired  to  the  wall  and  there  howled  or 
roared  back  angry  defiance  at  his  pursuers.  Not 
until  he  had  been  struck  by  a  ball  would  he  take 
refuge  in  the  bushes. 

The  Bashorun  hurried  us  off  next  morning  as 
soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  travel.  A  trusted 
officer,  whom  we  knew,  had  been  instructed  to 
give  special  attention  to  the  safety  of  my  party ; 
for  the  people  of  the  caravan  acted  upon  the 
principle  "every  man  for  himself,"  and  there 
were  some  young  people  in  my  party  who  could 
not  keep  up  through  the  whole  day  with  the 
excited,  hurrying  throng. 

A  stubborn  battle  had  been  fought  a  few  days 

202 


Leaving  the  Doomed  City 

before  in  which  the  allies  had  been  pressed  back 
slowly  to  the  last  line,  showing  that  they  were 
barely  able  to  hold  their  own.  We  feared  that, 
encouraged  by  this  show  of  weakness,  the  enemy 
might  send  a  large  detachment  of  their  vast 
horde  to  attack  our  caravan.  About  noon,  we 
came  to  a  place  where  a  road  from  Ebaddan 
entered  our  way,  and  the  officer  warned  us  all 
not  to  speak  while  passing  that  place.  For 
about  thirty  minutes,  we  hardly  breathed.  After 
going  a  mile  or  two  farther,  we  met  one  of  the 
scouts  from  the  camp  at  Okee-Magee,  who  told 
us  that  the  way  was  certainly  safe  to  that  place, 
but  we  were  still  in  the  enemy's  country  and  I 
could  not  feel  wholly  out  of  danger. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
camp  of  Okee-Magee.  Wrapped  in  mantles 
of  azure,  with  their  faces  illumined  by  the 
departing  sun,  the  twin  sisters  seemed  to 
greet  us  with  a  welcoming  smile.  I  tasted 
again  the  cup  of  happiness  of  which  I  so  freely 
drank  when,  after  passing  the  outposts  of 
Awyaw,  I  came  in  sight  of  Ejahyay.  The 
mountains  were  still  a  long  distance  away,  but 
our  buoyant  spirits  annihilated  space. 

Just  as  the  sun  set  and  when  we  were  still 
several  miles  away  from  the  camp,  I  heard  the 

203 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

rumbling  of  distant  thunder.  Yet  I  could  see  no 
cloud.  The  mountains  had  now  taken  on  a  very 
sombre  hue  and  seemed  to  warn  us  of  coming 
danger.  Suddenly  a  great  black  cloud,  made 
more  appalling  by  the  constant  play  of  vivid 
lightning,  issued  from  between  them  and  came 
rushing  and  roaring  straight  at  us.  The  violence 
of  the  shock  so  completely  scattered  my  party 
that  we  did  not  get  together  again  until  next 
morning  and  one  of  the  female  converts  was  not 
found  until  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day.  In 
less  time  almost  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  the 
carriers,  converts  and  children  were  thrown 
down  by  the  force  of  the  wind  and  lay  wallow- 
ing and  choking  in  water  nearly  knee  deep.  The 
carriers  of  my  wife's  hammock,  being  stalwart 
warriors,  managed  to  keep  their  feet  to  the  last. 
My  wife  lay,  half-strangled  in  a  pool  of  water, 
but  I  managed  to  keep  at  her  side  until  the 
tempest  had  swept  past.  The  rain  was  blown 
almost  horizontally  and  in  sheets  instead  of  drops. 
It  struck  us  like  the  current  of  a  rushing  river. 

It  was  now  quite  dark  and  we  had  much 
difficulty  in  getting  up  the  rocky  defile  into  the 
camp.  At  last  we  entered  amidst  the  deafening 
roar  of  guns  as  an  expression  of  joy  for  the  safe 
arrival  of  our  caravan. 

204 


Leaving  the  Doomed  City 

For  about  an  hour,  the  condition  of  my  wife 
and  self  was  very  forlorn.  When  I  sent  to  the 
commander  for  a  tent  in  which  to  pass  the  night, 
I  received  permission  to  occupy  a  little  thatched 
arbor  which  was  open  on  all  sides.  We  were 
soaking  wet  and  getting  very  cold  in  the  fresh 
breeze  that  followed  the  storm.  We  sat  here  for 
a  while  in  the  darkness  and  were  not  only  cold 
and  wet  but  weary  and  hungry  and  there  was  no 
one  to  get  anything  for  us.  Our  people  had  all 
disappeared  in  the  storm  and  darkness  excepting 
my  faithful  interpreter,  who  was  now  acting  as 
my  messenger.  I  found  out  that  the  commander 
was  Ogubona,  one  of  the  most  famous  chiefs  of 
the  Egbars  and  known  in  England  as  the  "friend 
of  the  white  man."  I  sent  another  message  to 
him  reminding  him  of  this  and  requesting  him 
to  give  me  a  place  in  which  we  could  be  more 
comfortable.  The  chief's  messenger  then  came 
and  carried  us  to  a  small  but  very  comforta- 
ble tent  with  clean  floor,  and  after  a  short  time 
food  was  brought  to  us  by  one  of  Ogubona's 
wives. 

Though  we  slept  on  nothing  but  a  grass  mat, 
we  passed  a  comfortable  night  and  were  much 
refreshed  next  morning.  During  the  night  I 
waked  once  and  made  the  astounding  discovery 

205 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

that  we  were  sleeping  in  Ogubona's  private  tent 
and  that  he  was  lying  not  more  than  a  few  feet 
from  me.  However,  this  did  not  disturb  me  at 
all,  for  it  was  a  guarantee  of  protection  so  far  as 
his  power  and  authority  extended;  but  I  never 
heard  of  the  like  the  whole  time  I  was  in  Africa. 
African  generosity  could  hardly  go  farther  than 
this. 

I  found  him  to  be  a  very  handsome  man.  He 
was  said  to  be  the  handsomest  man  in  all  that 
part  of  Africa.  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  never 
had  an  opportunity  to  meet  him  again  and  to  ex- 
press my  thanks  to  him  in  some  tangible  form. 
He  died  from  the  effects  of  exposure  a  short  time 
after  this  event.  He  was  highly  esteemed  by  the 
English,  who  invariably  spoke  of  him  as  "His 
Highness."  In  one  room  of  his  house  he  kept 
all  the  curious  presents  made  to  him  by  foreign- 
ers, and  it  was  said  to  be  like  a  small  museum. 
One  of  his  amusements  was  to  try  to  make  a 
number  of  clocks  strike  together. 

About  daybreak  next  morning,  we  heard  a 
child  calling  outside  the  camp  fortifications  and 
found  that  it  was  one  of  our  little  boys  who  had 
been  so  blinded  and  exhausted  by  the  storm  that 
he  had  not  been  able  to  find  his  way  to  camp 
until  then.  I  sent  out  a  hunter  for  the  lost 

206 


Leaving  the  Doomed  City 

female  convert.  She  was  found  sitting  at  the 
foot  of  a  tree  utterly  exhausted  and  ready  to 
perish.  Thus  all  were  saved. 

We  resumed  our  journey  with  light  and  thank- 
ful hearts,  and  from  Okee-Magee  to  Abeokuta  it 
was  like  a  picnic.  We  took  up  our  abode  in  the 
house  in  which  we  had  been  the  guests  of  the 
missionary  when  we  first  arrived  at  Abeokuta. 
Mr.  Phillips  gave  us  a  kind  reception  and  we 
made  the  same  domestic  arrangements  that  we 
had  while  in  Ejahyay. 

After  becoming  settled  in  our  new  home,  hav- 
ing no  farther  need  of  the  services  of  my  inter- 
preter in  Abeokuta,  I  sent  him  back  to  take  care 
of  the  house  in  Ejahyay.  The  Bashorun  prom- 
ised that,  in  case  the  Egbars  retreated,  he  would 
notify  him  in  time  to  escape.  On  getting  to 
Ejahyay,  he  found  that  some  marauding  soldiers 
had  tried  to  drink  the  acids  in  the  dispensatory 
under  the  impression  that  they  were  alcoholic 
liquors.  Fragments  of  the  broken  bottles  were 
lying  about  everywhere,  and  things  were  smashed 
up  generally  as  if  by  some  one  enraged  or  in 
pain.  The  robbers  must  have  been  dreadfully 
punished,  but  I  heard  nothing  more  from  it.  So 
many  people  were  dying  from  all  sorts  of  causes 

and  life  was  valued  at  so  little,  that  it  is  prob- 
207 


In  Afrie's  Forest  and  Jungle 

able  if  any  were  killed  the  tragedy  attracted  little 
or  no  attention. 

A  short  time  after  settling  in  Abeokuta,  I  was 
greatly  flattered  by  a  delegation  from  the  con- 
verts who  came  in  to  congratulate  me  on  my  at- 
tainments in  their  mother  tongue.  I  dismissed 
them  with  many  expressions  of  sincere  thanks, 
for  they  were  evidently  very  sincere  in  the  com- 
pliment. 


XXI 

PARTIAL  CIVILIZATION 

OUR  house  in  Abeokuta  was  differently  situ- 
ated from  that  in  Ejahyay.  The  city  had  out- 
grown its  original  limits  so  much  that  quite  a 
little  town  had  sprung  up  outside  the  gate  lead- 
ing to  Ejahyay.  This  town  contained  a  small 
but  comfortably  shaded  market-place.  The  mis- 
sion compound  was  built  on  the  outside  of  this 
collection  of  houses  and  stood  just  on  the  edge 
of  a  great  plain  which  furnished  pasture  for  the 
cattle  of  the  town.  This  plain  was  made  very 
picturesque  in  many  places  by  lofty  rocks  or 
boulders,  deep  hollows  and  wild  gorges  which 
would  have  been  ideal  abodes  for  Pan  himself. 
But  something  more  useful  and  substantial  dwelt 
here  in  the  form  of  arparrows,  antelopes  and 
other  game,  and  I  found  much  needed  recreation 
wandering  with  all  freedom  through  the  high 
grass  and  bushes  and  exploring  the  mysterious 
recesses.  But  the  vines  and  grass  and  many 
other  sorts  of  growth  were  so  thick  that  it  was 
often  difficult  to  find  even  large  game  after  I 
had  killed  it.  Once  while  I  was  pushing  through 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

a  tangled  growth  higher  than  my  head,  an  ante- 
lope as  large  as  a  cow,  sprang  up  into  full  view 
about  ten  steps  away.  I  discharged  the  entire 
load  into  its  side  and  it  seemed  to  be  wounded, 
but  I  could  not  find  my  prey.  It  had  slunk 
along  underneath  the  vines  and  bushes  and  hid 
in  some  impenetrable  recess. 

These  rocks  are  a  favorite  place  of  abode  for 
pythons,  and  I  did  not  care  for  this  reason  to 
pursue  the  search  too  far.  One  of  the  very  larg- 
est specimens  of  these  reptiles  lived  in  a  large 
cleft  boulder  just  inside  the  walls  near  the  mis- 
sion house.  The  people  of  the  city  treated  this 
as  they  did  the  one  living  in  the  great  central 
rock  and  frequently  left  offerings  to  it  as  one  of 
their  tutelary  deities.  My  curiosity  got  the  better 
of  me  one  day  and,  holding  a  strong,  sharp  knife 
in  one  hand,  I  passed  through  the  central  cleft 
looking  into  the  hollows  on  each  side,  but  I  did 
not  see  his  godship.  I  think  now  that  my  con- 
duct on  this  occasion  was  rather  foolhardy,  but  I 
did  not  think  so  at  the  time.  In  this  connection, 
I  will  say  that  the  greatest  snake  story  I  ever 
heard  anywhere  was  told  to  me  in  Abeokuta  by 
a  native  who  seemed  to  be  entirely  in  earnest, 
but  I  do  not  wish  to  be  held  responsible  for  the 

truth  of  his  statements.    The  man  declared  that 
210 


Partial  Civilization 

an  acquaintance  of  his  saw  the  head  of  a  large 
python  protruding  from  a  hole  in  the  bank  of  a 
rivulet.  When  he  cautiously  approached,  it  was 
withdrawn.  The  hunter  then  thrust  his  foot  and 
leg  into  the  hole  and  after  an  hour  the  monster 
had  swallowed  it  up  to  his  knee.  The  hunter 
then  killed  the  snake  by  splitting  it  from  his 
knee  to  his  foot  with  a  sharp  knife. 

The  rocky  nature  of  the  soil  made  the  mission 
yard  at  Abeokuta  the  favorite  haunt  of  a  reptile 
which  we  dreaded  much  more  than  we  did  the 
leopards  of  Ejahyay  or  the  pythons  of  Abeokuta. 
This  was  the  small  white  scorpion,  about  three 
inches  long.  There  was  another  species  about 
half  of  a  foot  in  length  and  of  a  jet  black  color, 
but  these  were  not  so  dangerous  as  the  innocent 
looking  white  species.  The  latter  generally  came 
out  after  dark  and  it  was  at  that  time  the  children 
were  most  frequently  stung.  When  I  would  see 
a  girl  or  boy  fall  suddenly  to  the  ground  and 
writhe  in  speechless  agony,  I  knew  what  was 
the  matter.  A  missionary  was  stung  one  night 
about  dark  and  he  screamed  and  groaned  until 
midnight.  He  said  that  the  pain  was  indescrib- 
able. I  had  some  very  narrow  escapes.  Once 
the  sting  struck  the  skin  without  breaking  it. 
Even  then  there  was  a  sharp  pain  for  a  few  mo- 

211 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

ments,  but  the  fright  was  worse  than  the  hurt. 
Anointing  with  palm-oil  is  the  favorite  native 
remedy.  To  infants  the  sting  of  the  smaller 
species  is  often  fatal.  We  may  well  imagine, 
therefore,  the  terror  of  a  missionary's  wife  when 
she  lighted  a  candle  one  night  and  found  six 
scorpions  around  her  baby's  crib. 

The  large  snakes  in  this  part  of  the  interior, 
are  dangerous  only  as  constrictors  ;  but  we  had 
snakes  in  Abeokuta  that  concealed  themselves  in 
the  short  Bermuda  grass  of  the  mission  station, 
the  bite  of  which  is  as  deadly  as  the  copperhead 
of  America.  We  seldom  saw  one,  but  they  gave 
us  much  concern  on  account  of  the  barefooted 
native  children  connected  with  the  orphanage. 

In  my  rambles  in  the  bush  back  of  the  mission 
premises,  I  met  with  several  surprises  in  the 
fauna  of  the  country.  One  was  a  large  hare. 
Another  was  a  chamelion.  This  strange  animal 
furnished  me  much  unique  entertainment  for 
sometime.  I  knew  that  its  color  would  change 
according  to  the  thing  upon  which  it  was  placed, 
but  I  did  not  know  before  that  it  is  a  double 
animal,  one  half  of  it  acting  entirely  independ- 
ently of  the  other,  but  my  observations  on  this 
occasion  forced  me  to  this  conclusion.  The  two 

protruding  eyes  seldom  looked  in  the  same  direc- 
212 


Partial  Civilization 

tion.  One  was  horizontal  while  the  other  was 
up,  down,  backward  or  forward.  Then  they 
would  be  in  opposite  directions  for  sometime, 
quickly  changing.  Occasionally  there  appeared 
to  be  a  contest  between  the  two  sides  as  to  which 
way  the  whole  should  move.  It  was  really  un- 
pleasant to  see  the  struggle,  for  the  little  creature 
seemed  to  be  suffering  pain  until  one  side  or  the 
other  surrendered  and  it  could  move  without 
hindrance  in  one  direction  or  the  other.  I  also 
came  across  a  species  of  armadillo,  showing  that 
the  opinion  that  no  species  of  this  animal  is 
found  in  Africa  is  incorrect. 

Among  the  rare  flora  of  the  country  I  came 
upon  some  specimens  of  ebony  and  of  rosewood 
as  beautiful  as  can  be  found  anywhere.  I  also 
found  some  wild  tomatoes  about  the  size  of 
cherries  and  proved  their  excellent  quality  by  eat- 
ing heartily  of  them  myself  and  bringing  some 
to  my  wife. 

We  did  not  feel  so  lonely  and  homesick  in 
Abeokuta  as  we  did  farther  in  the  interior.  In 
Ejahyay  we  saw  only  one  white  man  and  one 
white  woman  (and  these  only  for  a  few  mo- 
ments) who  were  not  of  our  household;  but  in 
Abeokuta  there  were  three  English  missionaries 
with  their  wives.  My  wife  especially,  who  had 

213 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

been  cut  off  from  congenial  female  society  for 
two  years,  greatly  enjoyed  this  pleasant  change  in 
our  social  privileges.  The  ladies  would  not  only 
exchange  calls  but  even  make  visits  of  days. 
One  of  them  was  the  wife  of  a  missionary 
physician  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac  Taylor,  one  of 
England's  most  famous  authors.  Through  her 
introduction,  we  afterward  had  the  rare  privilege 
of  passing  a  week  at  the  home  of  her  distin- 
guished father  near  London. 

Just  before  we  left  Abeokuta,  the  very  sudden 
death  of  one  of  the  other  ladies,  a  very  attractive 
and  cultured  woman,  cast  a  deep  gloom  over  our 
little  world. 

The  mission  compound  included  an  acre  or 
more  of  ground  and  this  space  was  divided  into 
a  front  and  back  yard.  Many  native  houses 
were  in  each.  These  were  occupied  by  the 
children,  their  teachers,  the  necessary  servants 
and  inmates  and  many  refugees  from  Ejahyay, 
including  the  converts.  Only  the  children  were 
dependent  on  us  for  support.  Excepting  that 
they  attended  chapel  services  several  times 
a  week  and  family  worship  every  night,  the 
others  lived  as  they  would  in  a  native  com- 
pound. According  to  native  law,  the  man  in 
charge  of  the  mission  station  was  the  bale  and 

214  • 


Partial   Civilization 

was  responsible  to  the  authorities  for  the  con- 
duct of  his  people  outside  as  well  as  inside  the 
compound.  His  authority  was,  therefore,  recog- 
nized as  absolute  inside  the  mission  compound. 
The  attendance  varied  a  little,  but  the  number  of 
people  generally  present  at  night  was  over  100. 

By  far  the  most  interesting  and  important  ap- 
pendage to  this  establishment  was  the  orphan- 
age. I  call  it  by  this  name,  because,  while  some 
of  the  children  had  been  left  temporarily  in  our 
care  that  they  might  escape  starvation  or  slavery, 
most  of  them  had  lost  one  or  both  parents  and  had 
to  be  educated  and  started  in  life  by  the  mission. 
The  boys  were  placed  in  the  back  yard  in  charge 
of  the  Sierra  Leone  teacher  and  his  wife ;  and  the 
girls,  in  suitable  houses  in  the  front  yard,  in  the 
care  of  some  of  the  older  female  converts.  Some 
of  the  girls  were  of  a  very  tender  age.  Each  of 
these  had  one  of  the  older  girls  for  an  eyah  or 
mother  whose  business  it  was  to  look  after  the 
toilet  of  her  little  charge  and  to  nurse  her  in  case 
of  serious  sickness.  They  also  bought  the  food 
of  the  little  ones. 

A  trusty  boy  was  appointed  to  count  the 
cowries  and  each  child  received  a  certain  number 
of  cowries  per  day  and  they  all  bought  their 
food  in  the  little  market  near  the  house.  Each 

215 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

had  a  little  dish  of  native  earthenware  to  hold 
the  "  palaver  sauce"  and  that  was  the  only  thing 
needed  in  the  way  of  table  furniture.  Their 
only  bed  was  a  grass  mat.  The  dress  of  the 
boys  consisted  of  a  brimle'ss  cloth  cap,  shocoto, 
and  a  shirt  of  some  cotton  material  reaching  to 
the  knee.  Among  the  people  this  shirt  was  rec- 
ognized as  a  badge  of  civilization.  They  also 
had  the  usual  shoulder-cloth,  but  it  was  princi- 
pally used  as  a  covering  at  night.  Besides  one 
undergarment,  the  dress  of  the  girls  was  a  turban 
and  a  gown  of  some  cotton  material.  Food  was 
provided  by  an  appropriation  from  the  mission, 
but  the  material  for  the  clothing  was  given  by 
philanthropic  people  in  England  irrespective  of 
religious  denomination  and  was  made  up  by  the 
girls  under  the  instruction  of  my  wife  assisted 
by  the  wife  of  the  teacher. 

As  a  contribution  to  the  school  and  to  relieve 
'my  wife,  I  sent  for  a  sewing  machine.  It  proved 
to  be  one  with  a  "  chain  stitch."  I  had  never 
seen  one  before  but  I  entertained  myself  very 
pleasantly  for  a  day  or  two  sitting  on  the  floor 
and  studying  it  out.  After  I  got  it  to  working, 
it  caused  much  astonishment  among  the  chil- 
dren; first,  by  sewing  so  quickly,  and  second, 
by  the  speed  and  suddenness  with  which  its 

216 


Partial  Civilization 

work  would  unravel.  The  little  monkeys, 
prompted  by  curiosity  to  see  how  the  thing  was 
done,  would  keep  picking  at  the  thread  until 
they  secured  an  end  and  then  with  loud  excla- 
mations of  amusement  would  pull  until  their 
clothes  dropped  to  pieces.  They  did  not  seem 
to  have  much  opinion  of  the  "chain  stitch"; 
neither  did  I,  after  sewing  the  same  garment 
several  times.  When  their  curiosity  was  en- 
tirely satisfied,  we  got  along  much  better,  and 
with  little  trouble  were  able  to  keep  the  orphans 
clothed. 

The  distress  that  had  come  upon  them,  led  the 
Ejahyay  refugees  to  think  and  feel  more  deeply 
in  regard  to  the  gospel  and  during  the  first  year 
of  my  residence  in  Abeokuta,  many  of  them 
made  a  profession  of  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  so 
that  the  mission  church  was  much  enlarged  from 
those  who  had  persistently  resisted  the  gospel  in 
their  own  town  and  in  happier  days.  Among 
these  was  my  wife's  little  waiting-maid,  the 
daughter  of  Orgeh  of  Ejahyay.  When  Mr. 
Phillips  told  her  she  might  have  to  die  for  Christ 
and  then  asked  her  if  she  would  be  willing  to  do 
so,  she  wept  aloud  and  said,  "If  it  is  the  Lord's 
will,  I  will  try  to  do  so."  She  died  early  but  she 
remained  a  consistent  Christian  to  the  last. 

217 


XXII 

LOVE  LETTERS 

THE  health  of  Mr.  Phillips  so  completely  failed 
that  he  was  compelled  to  leave  the  country  for 
eight  months.  During  this  time  all  the  cares  of 
the  mission  station  again  devolved  on  me. 

Among  the  first  problems  that  faced  me  after 
I  came  to  be  bale  was  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
children,  instigated  by  well-meaning  native 
friends  among  the  women,  because  they  had 
not  been  betrothed.  According  to  the  usage  of 
their  country,  most  of  them  had  already  passed 
the  age  for  this  ceremony  and  they  were  becom- 
ing impatient.  Some  had  even  passed  the  mar- 
riageable age.  One  day  a  delegation  of  converts 
waited  on  me  and  suggested  that  the  matter  be 
attended  to  at  once.  Wishing  to  discourage 
such  long  betrothments  and  such  early  mar- 
riages, I  argued  them  out  of  the  idea  and  they 
cheerfully  acquiesced.  But  the  young  people 
were  not  satisfied  and  proceeded  to  betroth 
themselves  by  a  secret  correspondence.  At  that 
time  they  could  not  write  in  their  language,  but 
by  the  use  of  cowries,  beads,  colored  strings, 
pieces  of  cloth,  feathers  and  other  things  ar- 

218 


Love  Letters 

ranged  in  certain  ways  and  thrown  over  the 
dividing  wall,  they  settled  all  their  love  matters 
to  their  satisfaction  if  not  to  mine.  There 
seemed  to  be  some  very  decided  "cases"  among 
them  and  I  found  out  that  love  laughs  at  mud 
walls  as  well  as  at  locksmiths. 

The  betrothals  were  consummated  several  years 
afterward,  but  not  all  the  unions  proved  to  be 
entirely  happy.  A  few  of  the  girls  were  not  in- 
cluded in  this  affair,  because  they  had  been  be- 
trothed before  coming  to  the  mission,  and  their 
friends  were  not  willing  that  the  covenant  should 
be  broken.  One  of  these  was  required  to  marry 
a  man  in  Ebaddan.  She  was  one  of  the  brightest 
and  best  looking  among  them  and  her  betrothed 
husband  demanded  either  his  wife  or  her  dowry, 
and  she  was  compelled  to  go  to  be  the  wife  of  a 
man  whom  she  nad  never  seen,  and  of  whose 
character  she  knew  nothing.  She  died  early. 
Although  deprived  of  Christian  society,  she  was 
true  to  her  faith  to  the  last.  Another  of  the  girls 
unfortunately  attracted  the  attention  of  the  pow- 
erful Egbar  chief,  Ogoodookpeh,  who  took  ad- 
vantage of  an  anti-English  riot  to  violently  trans- 
fer her  to  his  harem.  After  a  few  years,  she 
succeeded  in  escaping  to  Lagos,  leaving  a  little 

son  in  care  of  its  father. 

919 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

Much  interest  was  added  to  our  daily  family 
worship  by  the  aptness  of  the  children  in  learn- 
ing to  read  in  their  mother  tongue.  All  who 
could  read  gathered  around  the  table  in  the  cen- 
tral room  and  joined  in  reading  the  lesson  for 
that  night.  Then  followed  a  hymn  and  a  prayer, 
both  in  the  Yoruban  tongue.  They  all  had  good 
voices,  some  very  sweet,  and  I  never  think  of 
the  evening  gathering  around  the  table  in  the 
mission  house  at  Abeokuta  without  a  perceptible 
softening  of  the  heart.  Several  of  the  boys  are 
now  zealous  and  effective  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel among  the  people.  All  of  them  sooner  or 
later  made  a  profession  of  Christianity  and  most 
of  them  are  useful  Christians;  but  sometimes 
when  I  remember  the  pathetic  history  of  some  of 
them  who  are  dead,  there  is  a  suspicion  of  tears 
in  my  eyes. 

All  of  them  had  to  go  through  many  trials  of 
their  faith.  After  I  had  departed  for  America, 
the  authorities  of  Abeokuta  broke  up  the  mission 
stations.  Most  of  the  converts  and  children 
fled  to  the  coast,  but  they  had  been  warned 
of  such  troubles  when  they  made  a  profession 
of  Christianity  and  were  not  wholly  taken  by 
surprise  nor  at  all  discouraged  in  their  Christian 

life. 

220 


Love  Letters 

It  was  very  interesting  to  watch  the  conflict 
between  light  and  darkness  in  the  minds  of  these 
Yoruban  children,  for  they  still  believed  in  many 
of  the  superstitions  of  their  parents  long  after 
these  superstitions  ceased  to  wield  any  evil 
power  over  them.  One  night,  I  heard  the  girls 
jeering  at  a  "  witch-bird "  which  was  croaking 
near  their  dormitory  and  shouting  to  the  innocent 
little  offender,  "  Go  along,  you  old  witch-bird. 
We  are  not  afraid  of  you  now.  We  trust  in  the 
white  man's  God."  It  was  plain  that,  while  they 
were  no  longer  afraid  of  it  as  they  had  been  in 
the  past,  they  still  suspected  that  it  was  a  real 
witch  or  evil  spirit. 

The  smaller  children  were  sometimes  prone  to 
pervert  our  teaching  to  suit  their  convenience. 
Two  little  boys  found  themselves  greatly  tempted 

to  steal  and  eat  a  roasted  chicken.     One  of  them 

i 

declared  that  it  would  be  a  sin  to  do  so,  but  the 
other  pleaded  that  the  white  man's  God  was 
very  merciful  and  that  they  would  eat  the  chicken 
and  pray  a  great  deal  and  God  would  forgive 
them.  This  argument  prevailed  and  they  ate  the 
chicken.  When  it  was  traced  to  them,  they 
made  a  "  clean  breast "  of  the  whole  matter. 

The  presence  of  so  many  children  full  of  life 
and  fun,  generally  made  things  about  the  mis- 
321 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

sion  compound  quite  cheerful.  They  quarrelled 
little  and  entered  into  their  sports  with  great 
zest.  In  the  schoolroom,  the  Sierra  Leone 
teacher  used  the  rod  quite  freely,  but  the  little 
victims  seemed  to  think  this  was  the  right  way 
to  do  and  seemed  to  cherish  no  malice.  They 
could  suffer  physical  pain  with  more  equanimity 
than  mental.  To  make  one  dullard  study,  the 
teacher  had  tried  the  rod  in  vain.  As  a  last  re- 
sort I  placed  on  his  head  a  dunce  cap.  This 
caused  much  merriment  in  the  schoolroom,  but 
the  poor  little  fellow,  with  the  tears  trickling 
down  his  cheeks,  sat  in  speechless  humiliation. 
At  last  his  little  sister  ran  to  him  and  throwing 
her  arms  around  his  neck,  spoke  words  of  com- 
fort to  him  while  she  wiped  the  tears  from  his 
cheeks  with  the  hanging  end  of  her  turban. 
From  that  day  he  was  one  of  the  most  studious 
scholars  among  them. 

They  were  not  disposed  to  be  lazy  and  very 
cheerfully  did  whatever  was  required  of  them  in 
the  way  of  manual  labor  or  special  duties  con- 
nected with  the  mission  station.  We  had  a  call- 
bell,  and  all  on  duty  knew  their  numbers  and 
always  promptly  and  cheerfully  responded. 

The  saintly  Ofeekee  of  Ejahyay  memory,  be- 
ing now  a  widow,  took  up  her  abode  in  the  mis- 
323 


Love  Letters 

sion  compound.  She  was  of  much  service  in 
looking  after  the  young  people,  was  really  the 
matron  of  the  girls'  department,  in  fact.  She 
was  also  a  thrifty  trader  and  contributed  to  their 
support.  Mary  or  Osuntala,  also  took  lodgings 
in  the  girls'  dormitories  when  she  first  came,  but 
she  was  still  young  and  comely,  and  she  soon 
had  a  suitor  in  a  pious  Sierra  Leone  man.  She 
was  little  inclined  to  marriage  and  discouraged 
him  for  many  months,  but  her  modest  shyness 
only  made  her  lover  the  more  persistent,  and  one 
day  she  asked  me  with  downcast  eyes,  if  I 
thought  she  would  act  wisely  in  marrying  again. 
I  rather  encouraged  the  idea  and  the  union  proved 
to  be  a  very  happy  one.  I  will  notice  in  this 
connection  that  the  relation  of  our  mission  station 
in  Abeokuta  to  the  civil  power  was  singularly 
unique.  In  Ejahyay,  when  a  ruffian  on  one  oc- 
casion pursued  our  mission  children  into  the  sta- 
tion yard,  stoning  and  cursing  them,  Areh  had 
the  offender  severely  whipped  by  the  bale  of  his 
compound.  But  in  Abeokuta,  the  government 
was  such  a  strange  mixture  of  patriarchal,  mon- 
archical and  republican  that  we  did  not  know 
sometimes  to  whom  to  apply  for  protection.  In 
each  of  the  numerous  chiefdoms  was  an  Ogbonee 
lodge  to  which  everybody  but  slaves  belonged. 

223 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

The  presiding  officer  of  each  lodge  was  elected 
by  that  lodge  and  was  called  an  elder.  At  the 
death  of  any  chief,  the  lodge  of  his  chiefdom 
elected  his  successor.  The  chiefs  and  the  elders 
chose  the  Alake  or  king,  whenever  they  chose  to 
have  such  an  officer.  This  action,  however, 
needed  to  be  confirmed  by  the  people  assembled 
in  mass  meeting  on  Oro  day.  Declarations  of 
war  which  are  always  made  by  the  chiefs  and 
Ogbonee  elders  conjointly,  are  also  confirmed  by 
this  popular  assembly.  The  chiefs  were  fond  of 
power,  and  they  always  elected  a  man  as  Alake, 
who  let  them  have  their  own  wa)  in  matters  of 
importance. 

The  Alake  under  whose  sway  it  was  my  for- 
tune or  rather  misfortune  to  live,  passed  most  of 
his  time  in  playing  "warree"  (a  favorite  native 
game) *  with  the  Ogbonee  elders  and  other  boon 
companions  and  left  the  administration  of  justice 
largely  to  a  favorite  slave,  a  young  Foolah,  who 
was  almost  white.  This  young  man  generally 
decided  cases  in  favor  of  those  who  gave  him  the 
largest  sum  of  money.  It  was  in  vain  to  appeal 
from  him  to  the  Alake  or  king,  for  no  one  could 
see  the  king  without  the  consent  of  this  un- 

1  "Warree"  is  the  "Macala"  of  Syria  and  the  East.  There  is  hardly  a 
house  in  which  a  "  Warree  "  board  is  not  found  for  the  entertainment  of  its 
inmates.  The  natives  have  other  games,  but  this  is  the  favorite. 

224 


Love  Letters 

worthy  representative,  and  he  gave  his  consent 
only  when  it  suited  his  convenience. 

The  government  of  this  Aldke  was  a  good  ex- 
ponent of  his  character.  He  would  issue  a  de- 
cree and  the  town  crier  would  publish  it  through- 
out the  city,  but  in  a  few  days  the  people  would 
entirely  ignore  it,  and  the  fat,  lazy  old  fellow, 
who  issued  it,  would  go  on  playing  "warree" 
and  dandling  his  babies  and  not  trouble  himself 
about  the  matter.  Coming  from  under  the  vig- 
orous administration  of  Areh,  I  found  it  difficult 
to  feel  anything  like  respect  for  so  weak  a  ruler. 
His  cowardly  character  and  his  general  indiffer- 
ence to  his  duty  as  a  sovereign,  came  near  involv- 
ing me  in  a  tragedy. 

Just  before  I  arrived  from  Ejahyay,  a  gigantic 
American  ship-carpenter  named  West,  came  up 
from  the  coast  and  asked  for  shelter  and  work. 
He  claimed  that  he  had  been  put  on  shore  at 
Lagos  because  he  was  too  sick  to  work.  Mr. 
Phillips  believed  him  and  granted  his  request.  He 
proved  to  be  a  consummate  hypocrite,  also  a 
drunkard  and  a  desperado.  Some  weeks  after 
his  arrival,  when  my  wife  was  confined  to  her 
bed  with  serious  illness,  he  got  crazy  drunk  and 
"cleaned  out "  the  native  part  of  the  mission 
premises  by  chasing  everybody  he  met  while 

225 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

holding  an  open  knife  in  his  hand.  The  fright- 
ened girls  took  refuge  in  my  wife's  room. 

The  presence  of  so  many  persons  in  this  room 
under  the  circumstances,  greatly  aggravated  her 
illness  and  I  twice  went  out  to  find  where  the 
brute  was  hid.  It  was  so  dark  that  I  could  not 
see  him  until  he  had  crept  close  to  me,  and  twice 
I  was  exposed  to  his  murderous  knife.  Once  he 
walked  by  my  side  the  whole  length  of  the  pi- 
azza threatening  to  kill  me,  but  by  a  side  leap 
through  a  door,  I  escaped  him.  At  last  I  found 
him  in  such  a  position  that  I  succeeded  in  getting 
all  the  girls  safe  into  their  house.  The  boys  had 
all  fled  the  compound,  one  of  them  narrowly  es- 
caping a  thrust  of  West's  knife.  Mr.  Phillips 
took  a  seat  in  my  room.  I  had  hardly  taken  my 
seat  from  seeing  the  girls  safe,  when  I  heard  the 
maniac  say  with  a  hiss,  "  If  you  move,  you  are  a 
dead  man."  In  another  moment,  with  a  loud 
yell,  he  leaped  through  an  open  window  into  the 
middle  of  my  wife's  room.  He  remained  stand- 
ing where  he  was  for  a  few  moments,  tearing 
his  clothes  and  making  drunken  threats  as  to 
what  he  would  do,  and  then  with  another  yell 
leaped  back  through  the  window  again. 

Mr.  Phillips  sent  to  the  Alake  asking  for  pro- 
tection. He  replied  that  he  was  not  the  ruler  of 

226 


Love  Letters 

white  men  and  that  Mr.  Phillips  could  do  as  he 
pleased  with  the  man.  But,  fortunately,  we 
were  not  called  on  to  use  desperate  measures. 
The  third  day,  his  liquor  being  exhausted,  he  be- 
came sober  enough  to  apologize  for  his  conduct 
and  left  apparently  with  the  intention  of  doing 
better  in  the  future. 

A  few  days  after  this,  however,  I  received  a 
note  from  him  saying  that  he  was  coming  to  kill 
me,  and  Mr.  Phillips  immediately  notified  some 
Ejahyay  men  who  happened  to  be  in  the  com- 
pound. West  entered  the  gate  on  horseback  but 
dismounted  and  approached  the  place  where  I 
was,  in  the  piazza,  with  his  hand  resting  on  a 
dirk  in  his  belt.  Mr.  Phillips  detained  him  a  few 
moments  to  reason  with  him  while  my  brave 
Ejahyay  fellows  gathered  to  my  right  with  their 
weapons  in  their  hands.  The  ruffian  saw  his 
peril  and  began  to  tremble.  He  then  beat  a  hasty 
retreat,  remounted  his  horse  and  galloped  away. 
But  the  old  Alake  drank  and  dozed  and  played 
"  warree"  and  cared  for  none  of  these  things.  I 
never  saw  West  again.  He  happened  to  interfere 
with  the  two  Liberians  who  went  in  search  of 
me  during  my  trouble  in  the  interior,  and  they 
gave  him  the  option  of  dying  or  leaving  the 
country,  and  he  wisely  chose  the  latter. 

227 


XXIII 

A  NARROW  ESCAPE 

ALTHOUGH  things  were  pleasant  on  the  whole, 
serious  illness,  the  rude  alarms  of  war,  and 
many  other  things  often  broke  suddenly  in  on 
the  quiet  routine  of  our  daily  life.  Of  all  our  un- 
pleasant experiences  in  Abeokuta,  the  most  ter- 
rible was  a  Dahomian  alarm.  It  was  the  settled 
custom  of  the  king  of  Dahomey  to  make  an  an- 
nual excursion  with  a  large  army  and  to  take  and 
destroy  some  town  distant  from  his  capital.  The 
very  old  and  the  very  young  were  butchered,  but 
any  other  captives  were  carried  away  to  be  sold 
as  slaves  or  to  be  offered  in  sacrifice  to  the  manes 
of  the  king's  father.  In  this  way  many  thou- 
sands of  people  miserably  perished  every  year 
and  the  name  "Dahomee"  was  associated  in  the 
minds  of  the  people  of  neighboring  nations  with 
everything  ferocious  and  terrible. 

It  was  not  a  mitigating  circumstance,  that  a 
large  corps  of  the  Dahomian  army  was  composed 
of  amazons,  for  these  female  warriors  were  noth- 
ing better  than  human  tigers.  One  of  their 
favorite  amusements  was  to  see  which  of  them 

228 


A  Narrow  Escape 

could  first  get  through  a  high  circle  of  thorns 
and  kill  a  helpless  prisoner  tied  to  a  stake. 
Though  their  limbs  were  shockingly  torn  by  the 
spikes,  they  thought  it  excellent  sport.  I  was 
also  informed  that  when  one  of  them  sneeringly 
said  to  another,  "You  are  nothing  but  a  man," 
only  the  death  of  one  or  the  other  could  settle 
the  difficulty.  All  that  I  heard  about  them  tended 
to  convince  me  that  they  were  past  human  feel- 
ing and  that  the  shedding  of  human  blood  was 
their  chief  delight. 

When  the  Egbars  united  with  the  English  in 
breaking  up  the  slave  trade,  the  Dahomian  king 
came  with  a  large  army,  including  7,000  am- 
azons,  to  destroy  Abeokuta.  They  stormed  the 
city  with  great  fury  but  received  a  bloody  re- 
pulse, leaving  from  eight  to  ten  thousand  of  their 
bravest  warriors  under  the  walls.  From  that 
time  until  the  time  of  my  coming  to  Abeokuta, 
the  king  of  Dahomey  had  been  vowing  venge- 
ance against  the  people  who  had  shown  that 
he  was  not  invincible.  The  amazons  especially 
were  eager  for  revenge.  He  had  entered  into  an 
alliance  with  Ogumulla  and  had  agreed  to  attack 
Abeokuta  at  the  same  time  that  the  latter  attacked 
Ejahyay,  but  for  some  reason  this  covenant  was 
broken.  He  came  within  a  hundred  miles  of 

229 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

Abeokuta  with  an  army  the  size  of  which  may 
be  imagined  by  the  fact  that  he  had  forty  am- 
azon  generals  on  his  staff.  But  after  destroying 
another  large  town  he  returned  to  his  country  to 
await  the  next  "dry  season."  That  time  had 
now  come  and  the  people  of  Abeokuta  were  not 
surprised  to  learn  that  a  large  army  had  left 
Abomey  and  was  coming  east.  Scouts  were 
sent  out  to  watch  the  movements  of  the  Daho- 
mians  while  every  preparation  possible  was 
made  for  the  anticipated  assault.  After  some 
days  the  mounted  scouts  returned  and  reported 
that  they  had  gone  three  days'  journey  and  could 
find  no  trace  of  a  Dahomian  army. 

Supposing  that  the  king  had  again  decided  to 
go  in  another  direction,  the  people  returned  to 
the  farms  or  addressed  themselves  to  their  usual 
business  in  the  city,  giving  little  thought  to  any- 
thing else.  The  Aldke  had  been  greatly  stirred 
up  at  the  prospect  of  danger,  but  he  again  gladly 
returned  to  his  accustomed  ease.  A  feeling  of 
perfect  security  prevailed  everywhere,  while  the 
Dahomian  host  was  within  a  few  miles  of 
Abeokuta. 

About  ten  miles  west  of  the  city  on  the  road 
leading  toward  Dahomey  was  a  town  of  ten 
thousand  inhabitants  named  Eshagga.  This  town 

230 


A  Narrow  Escape 

was  really  a  part  of  Abeokuta,  many  people 
having  homes  in  both  places,  living  in  either  as 
their  business  required.  About  four  o'clock  one 
afternoon,  while  sitting  in  the  back  piazza  of  the 
mission  house,  I  noticed  great  masses  of  black 
smoke  boiling  up  from  beneath  the  western 
horizon.  Soon  I  heard  something  which  seemed 
to  be  a  prolonged  moan  coming  from  the  Es- 
hagga  gate  of  the  city  about  four  miles  away. 
This  sound  increased  in  volume  and  pitch,  like 
the  roaring  of  a  mighty  wind,  until  it  spread  left 
and  right  all  over  the  city  and  all  around  me, 
and  I  found  that  it  was  a  wail  of  loud  lamenta- 
tion coming  from  the  women  and  children. 
Then  one  of  the  female  converts  rushed  into  the 
house  screaming,  "Dahomee!  Dahomee!"  Her 
countenance  was  distorted  and  her  eyes  were 
literally  protruding  with  terror.  Rushing  out 
and  calling  upon  all  the  women  and  children  to 
stay  where  they  were  until  I  returned,  I  ran  to 
the  great  rock  in  the  centre  of  the  town  and  took 
a  view  of  the  situation. 

The  whole  city  was  in  a  tremendous  stir  and 
uproar.  Thousands  were  rushing  to  the  walls 
and  thousands  of  resolute  men  already  lined  the 
walls  on  the  Eshagga  side  for  many  miles  and 

the    line    was    made    bright    by  the  glitter  *">f 
231 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

weapons  In  their  hands.  Along  the  narrow 
paths  across  the  extended  plain,  couriers  were 
riding  at  full  speed  calling  in  the  farmers  from 
the  fields.  I  could  see  no  Dahomians  and  ob- 
serving that  everything  was  being  done  that 
could  be  done,  I  returned  to  the  mission  house 
greatly  encouraged.  Here  I  was  further  strength- 
ened by  learning  that  the  city  v/as  under  the  mil- 
itary command  of  Shokanoo,  one  of  the  most 
efficient  and  warlike  chiefs  of  the  nation,  and 
that  he  would  still  have  at  his  command  a  very 
large  proportion  of  those  capable  of  bearing  arms 
if  he  could  get  them  all  in  before  the  attack. 
Besides  these,  the  old  men  and  the  boys  were  all 
rushing  to  the  wall,  sword  in  hand. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  I  got  back.  I  found 
that  all  the  females  and  the  smaller  boys  had 
packed  up  to  flee,  but  I  urged  them  to  remain 
where  they  were  until  God  in  His  providence 
should  show  them  which  way  to  go,  for  we  did 
not  know  from  what  point  the  attack  would 
come.  To  this  they  finally  assented  and  on  their 
knees  awaited  the  coming  assault.  My  wife  re- 
mained on  her  knees  most  of  the  night.  With  so 
many  of  God's  people  praying  through  the  town, 
I  felt  fully  assured  of  God's  protection. 

After    leaving    instructions  that  I  should  be 

232 


A  Narrow  Escape 

awakened  when  the  firing  commenced,  I  offered 
up  a  fervent  prayer,  threw  myself  on  a  bed  and  fell 
asleep.  I  awoke  about  daybreak  and  learned  that 
the  Dahomians  had  not  made  their  appearance. 
For  some  time  it  was  supposed  that  the  wily 
enemy  was  hid  in  the  high  grass  waiting  a  favor- 
able opportunity  to  storm  the  city,  but  trusted 
scouts  informed  Shokanoo  about  noon  that  they 
were  certainly  gone.  They  brought  in  a  deserter 
from  the  Dahomians  who  explained  how  it  was 
that  so  large  an  army  succeeded  in  getting  so  close 
to  Abeokuta  without  being  discovered,  and  why 
it  was  it  had  returned  without  taking  advantage 
of  so  favorable  an  opportunity  to  capture  the  city. 
A  large  forest  lies  between  Dahomey  and 
Eshagga.  This  man  said  that  the  Dahomians  had 
entered  this  forest  in  single  file  at  many  places 
and  that  they  had  cut  their  way  through  it,  step 
by  step,  until  they  reached  Eshagga.  It  had 
taken  them  a  month  to  do  this  and,  during  this 
time,  they  were  not  allowed  to  make  any  noise 
which  would  distinguish  them  from  the  wild 
denizens  of  an  African  forest.  If  any  one  forgot 
himself  and  spoke  in  an  audible  voice,  he  was  in- 
stantly slain.  Even  orders  were  given  in  grunts 
or  barks  like  those  of  monkeys.  In  this  way 
they  made  several  miles  a  day  and  finally  united 

233 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

all  their  columns  just  before  coming  out  of  the 
forest  at  Eshagga.  The  scouts  had  followed  the 
ordinary  routes  or  else  the  secret  paths  of  the 
hunters  and  therefore  had  seen  no  sign  of  the 
presence  of  hostile  forces.  They  succeeded  in  get- 
ting into  Eshagga  through  a  very  singular  cus- 
tom of  the  Yorubans. 

When  soldiers  are  going  to  war,  they  do  not 
salute  any  one,  and  it  is  a  gross  insult  for  any  one 
to  salute  them.  The  Dahomians  came  out  on  the 
road  between  Eshagga  and  Abeokuta  about  dark. 
It  almost  took  my  breath  away  when  I  learned 
this;  because  we  were  then  completely  in  their 
power  if  they  had  only  known  it.  But  the  king 
of  Dahomey  thought  it  unwise  to  leave  so  strong 
an  enemy  in  his  rear  and  determined  to  destroy 
Eshagga  that  night  and  assault  Abeokuta  next  day. 
When  the  people  sitting  at  the  gate  of  the  former 
town  saw  a  detachment  of  the  Dahomians  hurry- 
ing along,  they  supposed  that  it  was  a  body  of 
Egbars  on  their  way  to  the  war  at  Ejahyay ;  but 
their  customs  did  not  allow  them  to  speak  to  the 
soldiers,  and  they  had  no  way  of  learning  any- 
thing about  them. 

The  Dahomians  quietly  filed  into  the  town  and 
camped  in  a  market-place  in  the  centre.  In  the 
meantime,  the  people  of  the  town  felt  all  the 


A  Narrow  Escape 

more  secure  on  account  of  the  presence  of  the 
soldiers,  and  retired  that  night,  as  we  did  in 
Abeokuta,  utterly  unsuspicious  of  the  sword  that 
was  at  their  throats.  During  the  night  the  rest 
of  the  enemy  surrounded  the  doomed  city,  the 
gates  were  opened  and  the  slaughter  began.  Ex- 
cepting a  few  hundred  spared  to  be  offered  in 
sacrifice,  everybody  but  one  man  perished.  This 
man  jumped  over  the  walls  but  was  found  and 
left  for  dead.  Though  terribly  hacked  up,  he 
succeeded  in  getting  to  Abeokuta  that  afternoon 
and  in  giving  the  alarm.  But  it  would  have  been 
too  late  to  save  the  city,  if  the  Dahomians  had 
carried  out  their  original  plan.  The  deserter  de- 
clared that  the  king  was  so  well  satisfied  with  the 
slaughter  he  had  made  among  the  Egbars  and  was 
so  suspicious  that  the  king  of  Abeokuta  knew  of 
his  presence  at  Eshagga,  that  he  decided  to  re- 
turn to  Abomey  until  another  season.  When  he 
reached  this  decision,  we  did  not  know  that 
there  was  a  Dahomian  within  a  hundred  miles  of 
us.  God  put  into  his  heart  to  wait  until  Abeokuta 
was  ready  to  defend  itself.  He  returned  next  dry 
season  but  there  was  no  surprise  this  time,  and  he 
received  a  repulse  even  more  bloody  than  the  first. 
What  a  benefit  the  French  conferred  on  man- 
kind by  destroying  this  cruel  power,  the  follow- 

235 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

ing  -verbatim  extract  from  the  report  of  a  British 
naval  officer  will  show.  It  was  made  upon  the 
testimony  of  a  German  merchant  who  was 
forced  to  remain  at  the  Dahomian  capital  and 
witness  the  bloody  scenes  which  followed  the 
return  of  the  Dahomian  army  from  its  murderous 
expedition  to  Eshagga.  The  report  was  made  by 
the  commander  of  H.  M.  S.  Griffin  from  Little 
Popo.  The  last  portion  reads  as  follows :  "Mr. 
Euschart  was  next  brought  to  the  market-place 
where  he  was  told  many  people  had  been  killed 
the  night  before.  He  first  saw  the  body  of  Mr. 
Doherty,  a  missionary  and  church  catechist  at 
Eshagga.  The  body  was  crucified  against  a 
large  tree — one  nail  being  driven  through  the 
forehead,  another  the  heart,  and  one  through 
each  hand  and  foot.  He  was  then  taken  to  the 
market-place  where  the  king  was  seated  on  a 
raised  platform  and  was  talking  a  great  'war 
palaver'  with  the  people.  He  promised  them  an 
attack  on  Abeokuta  in  November.  Cowries,  cloth, 
and  rum  were  then  distributed.  In  front  of  the 
market-place  there  were  rows  of  human  heads 
fresh  and  gory  and  the  market-place  was  sat- 
urated with  blood.  The  heads  belonged  to  some 
of  the  Eshagga  prisoners  who  had  been  killed 
during  the  night  after  having  been  tortured  in  the 

236 


A  Narrow  Escape 

most  frightful  and  cruel  manner.  Mr.  Euschart 
was  then  ordered  to  remain  quiet  in  his  house 
and  not  to  look  out  after  sundown. 

"When  the  ground  shook  violently  from  the 
earthquake  felt  at  Accra,  Mr.  Euschart  was  at 
once  brought  to  the  market-place  where  he 
again  found  the  king  seated  on  a  raised  platform 
surrounded  by  amazons.  The  king  told  them 
that  the  'ground-shaking'  was  the  spirit  of  his 
father  complaining  that  the  '  customs '  (bloody 
rites)  were  not  made  properly.  Three  Eshagga 
chiefs  were  then  brought  before  the  king  who 
told  them  that  they  must  go  and  tell  his  father 
that  the  '  customs '  would  be  better  than  ever.  A 
bottle  of  rum  and  a  head  of  cowries  were  then 
given  to  each  and  they  were  immediately  de- 
capitated. Twenty-four  men  were  then  brought 
out  bound  in  baskets  with  their  heads  just  show- 
ing out  and  were  placed  on  the  platform  in  front 
of  the  king.  They  were  then  thrown  down  to 
the  people  who  were  dancing,  singing  and  yell- 
ing below.  As  each  was  thrown  down,  he  was 
seized  and  beheaded,  the  heads  being  piled  in  one 
heap  and  the  bodies  in  another.  Every  man 
who  caught  a  victim  and  cut  off  his  head  re- 
ceived one  head  of  cowries. 

"  Mr.  Euschart  was  then  taken  to  another  part 

237 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

of  the  town  where  similar  horrors  were  being 
perpetrated.  The  next  day  the  platforms  were 
taken  down  and  the  programme  seemed  to  be 
singing,  dancing  and  firing  guns.  There  were 
no  more  public  sacrifices  for  ten  days,  but  it  is 
supposed  that  many  took  place  during  the  nights. 
He  was  then  taken  to  see  the  '  Grand  Customs ' 
at  the  palace  of  the  late  king.  At  the  gate  of 
this,  two  platforms  had  been  erected.  On  each 
of  these,  sixteen  men  and  four  horses  were  placed. 
Inside  the  house  was  another  on  which  were 
placed  sixteen  women,  four  horses  and  one 
alligator.  The  men  and  women  were  all  Sierra 
Leone  people  captured  at  Eshagga  and  dressed  in 
European  clothing.  Each  group  of  men,  bound 
in  chains,  was  seated  around  a  table  upon  which 
were  placed  glasses  of  rum.  The  king  then 
ascended  the  platform  and  adored  his  fetiche  and 
seemed  to  make  obeisance  to  the  prisoners 
whose  right  arms  were  then  loosed  that  they 
might  drink  the  king's  health.  After  this,  the 
effects  of  the  late  king  were  paraded  and  wor- 
shipped by  the  people  as  they  passed.  A  grand 
review  of  the  army  then  commenced.  As  each 
company  passed,  the  king  harangued  them  and 
promised  the  sack  of  Abeokuta  in  November. 
Nearly  the  whole  of  the  troops  wore  firearms.  A 

238 


A  Narrow  Escape 

few  select  corps  had  rifles,  but  the  majority  had 
flint  locks.  The  number  of  the  troops  altogether 
could  hardly  be  less  than  50,000,  including  10,000 
amazons. 

"After  the  review  the  prisoners  were  beheaded, 
their  heads  being  hacked  off  with  dull  knives. 
At  the  same  time  the  horses  and  the  alligator 
were  killed,  particular  care  being  taken  that  their 
blood  should  mingle  with  that  of  the  prisoners'. 
All  being  over,  Mr.  Euschart  was  permitted  to 
leave  Abomey  after  having  received  as  presents, 
eight  heads  of  cowries,  one  piece  of  country 
cloth  and  two  bottles  of  rum." 

As  this  letter  declared  that  British  subjects  had 
been  deliberately  murdered  by  the  king  of  Da- 
homey it  caused  much  excitement  in  England. 
But  this  part  of  Mr.  Euschart's  story  was  a  mis- 
take. The  man  crucified  and  those  beheaded, 
while  dressed  in  civilized  clothing,  were  civilized 
Abeokutans.  Mr.  Doherty  was  captured  and 
went  through  some  dreadful  experiences,  but 
the  king  found  out  that  he  was  a  British  subject 
and  thought  it  would  be  wiser  to  release  him 
than  to  have  a  war  with  so  powerful  a  nation. 

After  Doherty's  release  he  told  how  the  king 
was  disgusted  with  the  ten  commandments 
when,  at  his  own  peremptory  command,  they 

239 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

were  read  to  him  by  his  Christian  prisoner.  The 
command,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  he  seemed  to 
take  as  a  personal  affront.  Thus  he  received  his 
first  and  probably  his  last  message,  from  his 
Creator.  I  afterward  saw  a  wax  statue  of  this 
king  in  London.  He  was  seven  feet  tall,  nearly 
white  like  a  Foolah,  and  dressed  in  the  uniform 
of  an  English  general.  Doherty  said  that  he  was 
the  most  godlike  man  in  appearance  that  he  ever 
saw  and  that  he  was  not  surprised  his  people 
worshipped  him  as  a  demigod. 

He  carried  out  his  promise  to  attack  Abeokuta, 
but  so  far  from  sacking  the  town,  he  received  a 
defeat  from  the  Bashorun's  veterans  that  greatly 
weakened  his  power  and  made  him  willing  to 
let  the  Egbars  alone  forever  afterward.  The 
amazons,  however,  fought  with  such  fury  that 
they  broke  the  line  in  one  place  and  scaled  the 
wall.  Some  of  them  were  found  dead  in  the 
heart  of  the  town.  It  was  said  that  none  of 
them  turned  their  backs  until  a  retreat  was 
sounded.  One  of  our  mission  boys  distinguished 
himself  by  killing  one  of  these  furies  in  a  hand- 
to-hand  fight.  He  was  standard-bearer  of  the 
converts  and  an  amazon  endeavored  to  wrest  the 
standard  from  his  hand  and  kill  him  with  her 
short  sword. 

240 


XXIV 

THE  HUMAN  SACRIFICE 

THE  mourning  for  the  destruction  of  poor  Es- 
hagga  had  not  ceased  when  Ejahyay  fell.  For 
six  months  after  I  left,  there  was  no  fighting. 
In  the  meantime  Ogumulla  had  it  circulated 
among  the  slave-hunting  peoples  that  Ejahyay 
would  soon  fall.  Then  eager  for  prey,  thou- 
sands of  recruits  joined  him  from  neighboring 
nations  until  they  formed  three  great  camps, 
probably  numbering  50,000  men  in  each.  The 
allies  could  hardly  muster  one-third  of  that  num- 
ber, but  they  continued  to  make  a  bold  stand  un- 
til the  last  day,  when  the  soldiers  of  both  allied 
armies  broke  camp  and  fled  leaving  the  people 
of  Ejahyay  to  their  fate.  Aborgoonree,  Arch's 
head  slave  and  by  the  influence  of  the  Bashorun, 
his  successor,  escaped  with  the  Egbar  army,  but 
Areh-Argo  and  other  Ejahyay  leaders  committed 
suicide.  All  the  leading  men  among  the  cap- 
tured were  slain,  but  the  rest  of  the  people  were 
held  as  slaves  to  be  sold  or  redeemed.  A  few 
escaped  to  Abeokuta,  Illorin  and  other  places 

friendly  to  their  cause. 

241 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

Among  the  captives  was  my  faithful  inter- 
preter, John  Thomas,  who  was  carried  to  Ebad- 
ban  and  held  for  redemption.  He  had  been  as- 
sured by  the  Bashorun  that,  should  the  Egbars 
decide  to  give  up  the  fight,  he  would  be  duly 
notified  of  the  fact;  but  for  some  unexplained 
reason,  he  failed  to  receive  this  notice.  We 
could  get  no  communication  with  his  captors 
and,  after  being  kept  in  irons  for  three  years,  he 
was  released.  But  this  mercy  came  too  late  to 
save  his  life.  His  nervous  system  was  com- 
pletely shattered  like  that  of  my  companion  in 
the  Ebaddan  adventure,  and  he  soon  died  and 
was  laid  beside  that  other  victim  of  Ogumulla's 
cruelty  who  had  lost  his  life  by  being  true  to  me 
in  time  of  need.  Both  died  in  the  full  assurance 
of  faith;  and  I  humbly  hope  to  meet  them  in 
heaven.  They  had  wandered  from  God,  but 
these  troubles  brought  them  back  again  and 
proved  in  the  end  to  be  a  great  blessing  to 
them. 

The  houses  and  the  walls  of  Ejahyay  were 
broken  down  and  a  decree  issued  that  the  town 
should  never  be  rebuilt.  There  is  now  a  smaller 
unwalled  town  outside  the  forest,  but  the  site  of 
the  old  town  is  a  feeding  ground  for  wild  ele- 
phants. 

242 


The  Human  Sacrifice 

The  allies  continued  to  flee  until  they  reached 
Atadee,  fifteen  miles  from  Abeokuta.  From  this 
place  the  Bashorun  sent  a  message  to  the  Alahe 
simply  saying,  "We  are  coming."  The  laconic 
brevity  of  this  language  implied  a  threat  and  the 
Alahe  was  much  frightened.  Through  my  in- 
terpreter, I  had  known  that  some  very  unpleasant 
correspondence  had  taken  place  between  them 
before  the  fall  of  Ejahyay.  The  Bashorun  even 
declared  that  the  Alake  'would  like  to  see  him 
and  his  army  captured  or  killed  that  the  Alake 
and  his  people  might  inherit  their  possessions. 
I,  therefore,  felt  quite  uneasy  for  several  days, 
but  when  the  army  entered  the  city  there  was  no 
serious  disturbance,  neither  was  there  any  dispo- 
sition on  the  part  of  the  people  to  criticise  the 
conduct  of  the  Bashorun  and  his  army  at  the  seat 
of  war.  The  truth  is,  I  never  saw  on  the  battle- 
field braver  deeds  in  any  country,  than  I  saw 
during  the  siege  of  Ejahyay.  With  equal  weap- 
ons, any  people  would  find  Yorubans  foeman, 
worthy  of  their  steel. 

But  the  heroism  of  their  conduct  was  soon 
tarnished  by  one  dreadful  act — the  offering  of  a 
human  sacrifice  to  Ogun,  the  god  of  war.  This 
horrible  deed  was  as  unexpected  to  us  as  it  was 
appalling.  When  the  Abeokutans  formed  an  al- 

243 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

liance  with  the  English  to  dethrone  Kosoko  and 
to  open  up  the  country  to  legitimate  trade,  they 
entered  into  a  treaty  to  abandon  human  sacrifices. 
But  war  had  greatly  demoralized  them  and  the 
priests  took  advantage  of  this  state  of  things  to 
persuade  them  to  return  to  the  old  ways  and  to 
offer  up  the  accustomed  sacrifice  to  the  war  god, 
saying  his  favor  would  be  restored  to  them  and 
he  would  crown  their  arms  with  victory  as  he 
had  done  in  the  past.  Influenced  by  this  advice, 
the  chiefs  and  Ogbonee  elders  decreed  that  a 
slave  should  be  purchased  in  the  market  and  of- 
fered up  as  a  sacrifice  in  a  fearfully  wild  spot 
near  our  mission  house  on  the  road  leading  to 
Ejahyay. 

The  unusual  excitement  which  suddenly  seized 
the  women  in  the  market-place  near  our  house, 
was  the  first  intimation  that  we  had  of  what  was 
about  to  take  place.  When  they  heard  of  the 
decree  and  that  the  victim  had  arrived  at  the  spot 
designated,  they  sprang  to  their  feet  with  shouts 
of  joy,  ran  to  the  spot  and  engaged  in  a  kind  of 
frantic  dance  to  a  wild,  glad  chant  of  praise  to 
Ogun.  Many  of  them  also  addressed  prayers  to 
the  man  asking  for  some  earthly  good  or  sending 
messages  to  departed  friends.  They  also  cast  to 
him  choice  articles  of  food.  These  the  victim  ate 

244 


The  Human  Sacrifice 

with  apparent  relish  and  seemed  to  feel  honored 
by  the  attention  shown  him. 

The  women  showed  a  physical  endurance  and 
a  madness  that  was  really  terrible  to  behold. 
They  seemed  to  be  possessed  of  the  devil  and  1 
have  not  the  slightest  hesitation  in  believing  that 
they  were.  With  amazing  rapidity,  they  went 
round  and  round  encircling  the  victim  until  the 
ground,  which  had  been  previously  covered  with 
high  grass,  was  as  bare  as  a  floor  and  quite 
smooth. 

The  place  was  partially  enclosed  by  several 
large  boulders,  and  in  the  rear  of  the  enclosure 
thus  formed  were  several  others  nearly  as  large 
as  a  house.  These  made  narrow,  dark  alleys 
leading  to  little  courts.  The  whole  place  was  as 
complete  a  "devil's  den"  as  could  be  imagined. 
Previous  to  this  event,  I  had  called  it,  "Pan's 
den,"  but  I  now  changed  it  to  the  first  name. 

While  the  women  were  singing,  dancing  and 
invoking  the  victim  as  a  god,  as  I  have  already 
described,  the  officiating  priest  placed  two  up- 
right forks  about  seven  feet  high  on  each  side  of 
the  entrance  and  across  these  laid  a  pole  from 
which  a  fringe  of  palm  leaves  was  suspended. 
While  the  maniac  dance  still  continued,  the 
victim  was  laid  on  his  face  and  beheaded.  The 

245 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

people  then  dispersed  and  the  head  was  placed 
in  a  fantastically  marked  earthen  pot  in  one  of 
the  little  courts  in  the  rear;  other  offerings  were 
placed  in  other  parts  of  the  den  and  all  was  over 
but  the  horror  of  the  deed. 

I  was  warned  not  to  go  too  near  while  all  this 
was  going  on,  and  I  did  not  see  any  of  the  cere- 
monies or  hear  what  was  said,  but  when  the 
people  were  gone  I  cautiously  entered  this  in- 
fernal temple  to  see  for  myself  whether  it  was 
really  true  that  a  human  sacrifice  had  been 
offered.  The  headless  trunk  removed  all  doubt 
on  the  subject.  It  was  some  time  before  some 
of  the  English  would  believe  the  story.  One  of 
them,  however,  visited  the  spot  with  me  and 
took  a  sketch  of  the  victim's  body  and  of  the 
place.  This  was  sent  to  England. 

While  the  chiefs  and  Ogbonee  elders  and  a 
majority  of  the  people  favored  this  deed,  there 
were  very  many  who  did  not,  but  they  were 
powerless  to  interfere.  When  the  English  sent  a 
consul  to  live  among  them  that  they  might  be  kept 
in  mind  of  their  agreement  on  this  subject,  they 
ordered  him  to  leave  the  place  in  two  hours 
under  penalty  of  death,  and  he  left  at  once. 
This  treatment  was  a  defiance  to  the  English,  but 
they  did  not  resent  it  at  that  time,  and  their  for- 

246 


o    EL 


The  Human  Sacrifice 

bearance  on  this  occasion  exalted  the  Egbars 
very  much  in  their  own  estimation,  the  more  be- 
cause they  soon  afterward,  by  the  assistance  of 
the  Emir  of  Illorin  and  of  the  king  of  the  Ejay- 
boos,  forced  the  Ebaddans  to  sue  for  peace. 
Both  Ebekoonleh  and  Ogumulla  seem  to  have 
died  suddenly  on  their  return  to  Ebaddan,  and 
the  people  being  left  without  an  efficient  head 
and  being  cut  off  both  from  the  coast  and  from 
the  interior,  were  soon  reduced  to  great  straits, 
and  forced  to  end  the  war  for  the  time  by  asking 
terms  of  peace. 


247 


XXV 

THE  STOLEN  CHILD 

THE  man  who  did  the  most  for  the  military 
supremacy  of  the  Egbars  at  this  time  was  an  in- 
ferior chief  named  Ogudookpeh,  the  same  who 
afterward  carried  away  one  of  the  mission  girls. 
He  was  a  giant  in  stature,  and  on  the  battlefield, 
seemed  to  know  no  fear.  He  was  always  in 
front  and  his  bearing  was  so  lion-like  that  he 
could  hold  the  men  together  and  induce  them  to 
stand  when  no  one  else  could.  He  sometimes 
disdained  to  retreat  until  he  was  left  entirely 
alone. 

One  of  Ogudookpeh's  striking  peculiarities 
was  that  he  never  smiled.  This  eccentricity  was 
said  to  have  been  caused  by  an  unfortunate  event 
in  his  early  life.  To  commit  suicide  in  the  pres- 
ence of  another  is  one  of  the  ways  the  Yorubans 
have  of  revenging  a  gross  insult  offered  to  them 
by  that  person.  This  is  called  "dying  on  his 
neck."  You  cannot  frighten  a  Yoruban  quicker 
in  any  way  than  by  threatening  to  "die  on  his 
neck,"  though  I  was  never  able  to  find  out  the 
reason  for  this.  Ogudookpeh  grossly  insulted 

248 


The  Stolen  Child 

the  wife  of  one  of  his  young  companions  and 
the  latter,  after  reproaching  him  for  his  base 
conduct,  committed  suicide  in  his  presence. 
From  that  day  Ogudookpeh  was  never  seen  to 
smile.  Remorse  seemed  to  have  banished  the 
song  entirely  out  of  his  life.  Yet  he  did  not 
seem  to  be  incapable  of  a  kind  of  grim  humor. 

To  help  them  fight  the  Dahomians,  somebody 
sent  the  Egbars  a  cannon,  but  no  one  knew  how 
to  fire  it.  One  day,  there  was  a  thundering  re- 
port and  a  ball  came  crashing  through  the  houses 
of  the  city.  Ogudookpeh  had  succeeded  in 
shooting  off  the  big  gun.  Fortunately,  nothing 
but  a  horse  was  killed,  but  when  the  owner 
demanded  damages,  Ogudookpeh  exclaimed, 
"Why,  you  fool,  you  ought  to  pay  me  for 
knowing  how  to  shoot  the  gun."  Once  this 
savage  humor  assumed  a  very  dangerous  form. 
Seizing  his  bow  and  quiver  he  ran  out  into  the 
streets  of  his  chiefdom  and  began  to  shoot  at 
everybody  he  saw,  ordering  them  back  into  their 
houses.  The  people  thought  that  he  was  for  the 
time  possessed  by  Oro  and  that  Oro  was  thus 
expressing  his  displeasure.  They  could  more 
readily  believe  this  because  he  held  an  office  in 
the  Ogbonee  lodge  in  which  he  represented  the 
avenging  power  of  Oro  and  in  which  his  own 

249 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

person  was  sacred.  He  could,  therefore,  do 
with  impunity  what  others  could  not. 

I  was  the  victim  of  one  of  his  harmless  jokes 
and  1  was  the  more  readily  taken  in  because  I 
supposed  that  he  was  incapable  of  such  a  trick. 
He  wanted  to  exchange  cowries  for  coin  and  he 
desired  to  make  the  bargain  in  person  and  not 
through  an  agent.  He  knew  that  I  would  not 
come  to  him  on  such  business  any  more  than  he 
would  come  to  me,  so  he  resorted  to  stratagem 
to  bring  me  to  him.  Instead  of  sending  a  mes- 
senger with  a  staff,  he  sent  a  mounted  military 
courier  who  dashed  into  the  mission  yard  and  in 
an  excited  manner  shouted  that  his  master 
wished  to  see  me  immediately.  Ogudookpeh's 
very  name  was  a  terror  to  the  people,  and  fear- 
ing that  some  of  the  inmates  of  the  mission  com- 
pound had  fallen  under  his  displeasure,  I  hastily 
mounted  and  told  the  courier  to  lead  the  way. 
This  he  did  at  full  speed,  his  loose  tobe  spread- 
ing out  on  each  side  like  wings,  and  the  loose 
end  of  his  turban  band  streaming  out  behind. 
Thus  we  went  through  the  city  and  thus  we 
came  to  Ogudookpeh's  house. 

I  found  him  dressed  in  a  silk  stove-pipe  hat 
and  velvet  shocoto,  standing  outside  his  gate 
under  the  shade  of  a  large  tree  calmly  smoking 

250 


The  Stolen  Child 

his  pipe.  He  was  a  perfect  picture  of  repose  and 
cool  impudence.  As  soon  as  I  saw  him  I  knew 
that  nothing  serious  was  the  matter;  but  1  was  so 
relieved  that  I  did  not  lose  my  temper  and  every- 
thing passed  off  very  pleasantly. 

Another  of  his  peculiarities  was  that  he  would 
not  own  slaves  and  made  it  a  capital  crime  for 
any  of  the  people  of  his  chief dom  to  own  them. 
But  he  would  sell  all  captives  in  war  to  meet  the 
expenses  of  that  war,  and  in  this  way  was  in- 
directly a  slave  owner.  His  vengeful,  ferocious 
temper  showed  itself  once  in  the  murder  of  his 
own  child.  When  the  mission  girl  whom  he  had 
kidnapped  escaped  to  Lagos,  leaving  her  son  to 
his  mercy,  he  called  the  child  to  him  and  cut  off 
its  head  with  his  own  hand. 

I  have  always  thought  he  was  partially  in- 
sane, especially  as  he  believed  that  he  would 
never  die.  He  did  seem  to  bear  a  charmed  life 
and  survived  the  most  of  his  contemporaries,  after 
having  passed  through  untold  perils  on  the  battle- 
field. He  imagined  himself  a  demigod,  and  that 
some  day  he  would  go  up  to  heaven  like  Shango. 

I  would  have  been  afraid  of  this  savage  if  it  had 
not  been  that  he  was  subordinate  entirely  to  the 
Bashorun,  and  the  latter  had  never  failed  to 
show  himself  a  friend  whenever  I  needed  his 

251 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

services.  The  Bashorun  was  really  the  supreme 
ruler  of  Abeokuta,  and  the  fact  that  he  was  known 
to  be  my  friend  saved  me  from  serious  oppres- 
sion by  a  powerful  and  very  cunning  chief 
named  Artumbala,  who  lived  near  the  mission 
compound  and  who  claimed  to  be  its  protector. 
Being  greatly  impoverished  by  the  war,  he  sent 
to  "borrow"  some  cowries  from  me,  but  I  had 
been  reduced  to  the  same  condition  from  the 
same  cause,  and  was  forced  to  deny  his  request. 
Whenever  the  government  at  Abeokuta  de- 
sired to  accomplish  something  that  needed  much 
diplomacy,  they  generally  employed  Artumbala 
to  represent  them,  and  he  rarely  failed  to  success- 
fully execute  his  mission.  As  he  supposed  that 
my  refusal  was  caused  by  covetousness  instead 
of  necessity,  he  at  once  undertook  to  get  the 
money  out  of  me  by  a  cunning  trick.  While  he 
was  returning  from  a  council  of  chiefs  with 
many  of  his  warriors  around  him,  he  passed  by  a 
place  where  many  of  the  children  of  the  mission 
compound  were  playing.  After  the  company  had 
passed  with  a  great  beating  of  drums  and  other 
deafening  noises,  the  mother  of  a  three-year-old 
boy  fell  at  my  feet  with  loud  lamentations,  say- 
ing that  the  Egbars  had  stolen  her  child.  I  found 
out  that  one  of  Artumbala's  men  had  taken  up 

252 


The  Stolen  Child 

the  child  and  had  given  it  into  the  hands  of  his 
chief  who  had  in  turn  passed  it  to  another,  thus 
authorizing  the  deed. 

It  was  now  clear  that  the  old  fox  intended 
either  to  sell  the  child  or  to  force  me  to  redeem 
it  with  a  large  sum  of  money.  I  had  had  some 
acquaintance  with  him  in  Ejahyay,  and  had  also 
learned  much  about  his  methods  from  mission- 
aries in  Abeokuta,  and  this  information  convinced 
me  that  I  could  not  circumvent  him  by  diplomacy. 
I,  therefore,  determined  to  deal  with  him  in  a 
straightforward  manner  only,  for  his  habits  of 
thought  would  leave  him  utterly  unsuspicious  in 
that  direction. 

Taking  the  weeping  mother  with  me,  I  went  at 
once  to  his  house.  I  found  him  sitting  in  state 
with  his  officers  and  many  of  his  warriors  around 
him.  A  large  crowd  of  people  were  also  in  the 
compound  evidently  awaiting  my  appearance. 
The  mother  fell  moaning  at  his  feet  and  I  in- 
formed him  of  the  cause  of  her  grief. 

"Why  do  you  come  to  me,  white  man?"  he 
asked,  seemingly  in  angry  surprise. 

"Because  your  men  took  the  child,"  I  replied, 
sharply. 

"  How  can  you  prove  that  my  men  took  this 
woman's  child?"  he  again  asked  in  a  louder  tone 

253 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

as  if  he  was  getting  more  angry.  The  soldiers 
murmured  indignantly.  Rising  to  my  feet  and 
looking  him  sternly  in  the  eye,  I  emphatically 
said,  "  You  know  it,  Artumbala,  and  /  know  it, 
and  that  is  enough."  For  a  few  moments  noth- 
ing more  could  be  heard.  The  chief  pretended 
to  be  furiously  angry  and  the  soldiers  talked  so 
loudly  that  everything  was  utter  confusion,  but 
my  last  reply  completely  took  the  old  fellow  by 
surprise  and  was  a  home  shot.  Then  talking 
loud  enough  to  be  heard  above  the  din,  I  told  the 
chief  that  I  was  going  to  take  all  the  children  to 
Lagos  and  tell  the  English  people  that  Artumbala 
stole  my  children  and  would  not  let  me  live  in 
Abeokuta  and  that  he  was  the  enemy  of  the 
white  man.  This  was  another  home  shot,  for  at 
that  time  he  had  become  quite  famous  in  England 
by  pretending  to  be  a  convert  of  the  Church  of 
England  Missionary  Society.  Having  said  this,  I 
hurriedly  left  the  compound  with  the  howls  of 
the  people  following  me. 

I  found  great  consternation  in  the  mission  yard. 
Everybody  was  looking  for  Artumbala's  men  to 
come  and  destroy  the  mission  house  and  seize  all 
the  Ejahyay  people  as  slaves.  I  had  hardly 
quieted  them  when  Artumbala's  messenger  came 
in  a  trot  and  said  the  child  was  there,  but  it  had 

254 


The  Stolen  Child 

been  taken  by  Ogudookpeh's  men  and  that 
Artumbala  was  afraid  to  give  it  up  until  1  sent 
the  price  of  the  child  to  Ogudookpeh,  for  if  the 
latter  should  get  angry  with  me,  he  would  come 
and  kill  everybody  in  the  compound.  I  then 
threatened  to  take  the  whole  case  before  the 
Bashorun.  The  messenger  immediately  returned 
from  Artumbala  and  said  that  1  must  not  take  the 
matter  before  the  Bashorun,  that  he  did  not  want 
to  see  me  get  into  trouble  and  that  he  himself 
would  satisfy  Ogudookpeh's  men,  and  that  if  I 
would  come  down  he  would  give  me  the  child. 
I  took  the  mother  and  went.  The  crowd  was 
still  there  but  very  silent.  The  mother  threw 
herself  at  the  feet  of  the  chief  in  mute  supplica- 
tion. In  another  moment  he  took  the  child  from 
some  one  behind  him  and  handed  it  to  me  and  I 
placed  it  in  the  arms  of  the  mother.  She  re- 
ceived it  with  many  expressions  of  joy  and  of 
thanks,  and  hurried  away.  I  also  thanked  the 
chief  but  I  did  not  give  him  a  cowry. 

When  I  came  out  next  morning,  I  learned  that 
Artumbala  had  come  with  some  of  his  men  early 
that  morning  and  gone  to  the  chapel  and  passed 
several  moments  on  his  knees  and  then  had  gone 
away  without  saying  anything  to  anybody.  I 
suppose  that  he  intended  this  to  be  a  kind  of  dig- 

255 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

nified  apology  to  me  and  also  to  assure  the  con- 
verts that  he  meant  them  no  harm. 

About  noon  while  I  was  walking  the  piazza, 
he  entered  the  gate  with  some  attendants  and, 
coming  into  the  piazza,  threw  one  of  his  arms 
across  my  shoulder  and  walked  up  and  down 
with  me  for  sometime,  talking  about  the  hard 
time  he  was  having  on  account  of  the  war,  his 
friendship  for  the  white  people  who  had  lived  in 
that  house,  and  the  way  he  had  protected  them  in 
all  their  troubles.  He  then  hinted  that  some  re- 
turn for  all  this  kindness  on  his  part  would  be 
proper  and  acceptable.  On  this  new  tack,  the 
wily  old  diplomat  completely  captured  me,  and 
if  it  had  been  in  my  power,  I  would  have  given 
him  anything  in  reason.  But  I  had  nothing  to 
lend  or  give  away  without  taking  the  bread  out 
of  the  children's  mouths,  and  when  I  succeeded 
in  convincing  him  of  this  fact,  he  went  away 
seemingly  satisfied. 

A  short  time  after  this,  however,  the  old  fox 
made  me  feel  his  displeasure  in  a  case  of  litiga- 
tion before  him.  One  of  the  converts  was  guar- 
dian for  his  little  niece  and,  with  the  mother's  con- 
sent, gave  me  the  child  to  educate.  I  did  not 
accept  the  trust  until  the  guarantees  were  given 
which  the  native  law  provides,  that  the  child 

256 


The  Stolen  Child 

would  remain  in  the  mission  school  until  she  had 
reached  a  certain  age.  In  the  presence  of  the 
mother  and  other  witnesses,  the  uncle  placed  the 
hand  of  the  child  in  mine  and  formally  delegated 
to  me  all  the  rights  of  a  guardian. 

This  arrangement  was  very  satisfactory  both 
to  the  mother  and  her  brother,  until  the  mother 
married  a  Mussulman.  The  stepfather  insisted 
that  the  child  should  be  brought  up  in  the  faith 
of  Islam,  and  persuaded  the  mother  to  demand  its 
return.  I  felt  that  it  would  be  a  sin  to  return  the 
child  under  the  circumstances,  and  refused  to 
comply  with  the  demand,  telling  her  that  she 
could  come  to  see  her  daughter  whenever  it 
suited  her  convenience,  but  that  it  must  remain 
in  school  according  to  the  contract. 

The  Mussulman  then  sued  me  before  Artum- 
bala  for  the  possession  of  the  child.  He  pre- 
sented his  side  of  the  case  first  and,  if  there  was 
a  single  fact  in  any  of  his  statements,  that  fact 
entirely  eluded  my  observation.  When  my  turn 
came,  ignoring  the  falsehoods  of  the  plaintiff,  I 
made  a  plain  statement  of  the  facts  of  the  case. 
Knowing  that  I  could  prove  what  I  had  said,  the 
plaintiff  tried  to  circumvent  me  by  asking  if  the 
laws  of  my  country  would  allow  me  to  act  as  I 
was  doing  in  this  controversy.  To  this  I  replied, 

257 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

"  I  am  not  before  a  court  of  my  country,  and  I  am 
not  being  judged  by  its  laws.  I  am  in  your 
country  and  I  am  being  judged  by  its  laws.  Do 
you  despise  your  own  chief  and  the  laws  of 
your  own  country?"  This  unexpected  reply 
filled  the  lying  fellow  with  confusion  and  he  fell 
on  his  face  before  Artumbala  and  cried  out,  "  No, 
no,  I  honor  my  chief  and  the  laws  of  my  coun- 
try." The  chief  laughed  heartily  at  the  man's 
discomfiture  and  pleasantly  told  me  I  could  go, 
for  I  was  right  in  the  matter.  A  few  days  after 
this,  the  mother  came  early  one  morning  and 
took  the  child  away  without  my  knowledge  or 
consent.  I  knew  that  she  would  not  have  dared 
to  do  this  without  the  consent  of  Artumbala,  and 
I  let  the  matter  drop.  The  Mussulman  had  prob- 
ably given  him  a  sum  equal  to  the  redemption 
price  of  the  child  and  then  been  permitted  to 
kidnap  it  with  impunity. 


XXVI 

IMPROVEMENTS 

AT  the  end  of  my  second  year  in  Abeokuta, 
most  of  the  young  people  in  the  school  could 
read  in  their  mother  tongue  and  had  taken  a 
course  of  study  as  far  as  its  translated  literature 
permitted.  The  Bible,  of  course,  was  their  prin- 
cipal text-book  and  they  knew  more  of  this 
book  than  many  children  of  enlightened  parents 
in  so-called  Christian  lands ;  for  it  is  a  sad  truth 
that  while  there  is  much  show  of  studying  and 
teaching  them  among  us,  comparatively  few  out- 
side the  ministry  and  those  who  have  been 
specially  trained  as  Christian  workers,  have  any- 
thing like  a  complete  and  systematic  knowledge 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

Even  when  used  as  a  text-book  in  schools,  the 
Bible  is  often  more  valued  as  a  treasury  of  an- 
cient literature  than  as  a  source  of  religious  light. 
It  would  be  a  good  thing  for  some  highly  edu- 
cated young  people  if  they  were  so  placed  for  a 
year  or  two  that  they  would  have  nothing  else  to 
read  but  that  Book  of  books.  Not  only  on  the 
subject  of  true  religion  but  on  many  other  sub- 

259 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

jects,  they  would  have  broader  and  more  en- 
lightened views,  and  would  not  be  so  quickly 
infatuated  with  all  sorts  of  fanciful  notions  and 
vagaries  current  among  many  of  the  cultured  in 
enlightened  countries. 

It  is  one  of  the  merited  punishments  inflicted 
on  those  who  allow  science,  literature  and  the 
news  of  the  day  to  make  them  neglect  the  Bible, 
that  they  are  left  to  grope  in  spiritual  darkness, 
to  believe  the  most  absurd  things,  and,  in  all 
sorts  of  ways,  to  make  fools  of  themselves  until 
even  those  who  have  emerged  from  paganism 
regard  them  with  amazement,  if  not  with 
contempt. 

But  the  Bible  was  not  by  any  means  the  only 
text-book  when  they  had  learned  sufficient 
English  to  take  up  a  course  of  study  in  that 
language.  As  the  English  spoken  by  the  average 
Sierra  Leone  people  at  that  time  was  "pigeon 
English,"  I  much  preferred  to  hear  their  own 
musical  language  and  did  not  encourage  them  to 
speak  a  mutilated  form  of  my  own.  It  was 
quite  ridiculous  when  they  first  began  to  adopt 
the  dress  and  manners  of  the  white  man  in 
preference  to  those  of  their  own  people.  In  full 
dress,  they  always  wore  creaking  shoes,  and  the 
more  racket  these  made,  the  better  they  liked 

260 


Improvements 

them.  Utterly  worthless  was  the  shoe  that  had 
no  "  cracklin."  A  note  from  a  Sierra  Leone  man 
at  Lagos  to  one  of  our  boys,  who  had  bought  a 
pair  of  shoes  from  him,  contained  this  sentence, 
"You  say  shoe  no  good  because  it  have  no 
cracklin,  but  I  am  thankful  that  I  have  the  honor 
to  say  that  shoe  have  much  cracklin."  To  this  I 
was  able  to  testify,  for  whenever  he  put  them  on, 
the  "cracklin"  loudly  proclaimed  his  approach. 

This  strange  fancy  obtained  even  among  edu- 
cated Sierra  Leone  teachers  and  I  suppose  our 
boys  got  it  from  them.  Our  teacher  was  really  a 
very  intelligent  and  worthy  man,  but  he  had  a 
finished  Xantippe  in  his  wife.  She  was  young 
and  comely  but  had  many  of  the  mental  and 
moral  characteristics  of  a  heathen  concealed  by  a 
rather  thin  veneering  of  European  civilization. 
She  seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  worrying  her  hus- 
band because  he  could  not  punish  her  as  the 
heathen  men  punished  their  wives.  After  fre- 
quently reprimanding  the  teacher  for  tardiness,  I 
found  that  he  had  been  detained  by  the  childish 
perverseness  of  his  wife,  even  though  she  knew 
he  was  in  danger  of  losing  his  position  by  such 
neglect  of  duty.  One  Sunday  morning,  when  he 
was  in  a  great  hurry  to  get  ready  for  Sunday- 
school,  she  sat  down  on  his  clothes  and  refused 

261 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

to  allow  him  to  have  them,  so  that  he  might  be 
late  and  get  another  reprimand.  She  held  in  her 
hand  a  switch  used  in  driving  goats  out  of  the 
house,  and  tauntingly  invited  him  to  whip  her. 
To  her  amazement  and  rage,  he  accepted  her  in- 
vitation. Her  cries  brought  the  other  women  of 
the  compound  to  her  rescue,  and  they  brought  her 
to  me  to  complain  how  badly  she  had  been 
treated.  The  poor  teacher  came  also  to  apolo- 
gize for  giving  away  to  his  temper  and  acting  in 
such  an  unmanly  way. 

For  the  sake  of  Christian  civilization,  I  affected 
to  be  quite  indignant  but  in  my  heart  there  was 
much  sympathy  for  the  poor  husband  who  had 
been  so  dreadfully  humiliated  while  trying  to  do 
his  duty  for  her  sake.  This  incident  convinced 
me  that  there  can  be  nothing  like  Christian  homes 
in  Yoruba  until  native  ideas  of  home  life  have 
been  thoroughly  eradicated  from  the  minds  of 
the  girls,  and  been  replaced  by  those  inculcated 
in  Christian  teaching. 

Having  passed  through  a  severe  acclimation 
during  the  first  two  years,  I  did  not  have  fever  so 
often  as  I  did  in  Ejahyay.  Once  only  was  I  very 
ill,  and  was  greatly  pleased  to  hear  that  during 
the  critical  period  of  my  sickness,  the  converts 
had  spontaneously  assembled  in  the  chapel  and 

262 


Improvements 

prayed  for  my  recovery.  My  wife  was  twice 
brought  to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  and  if  we  had 
not  had  the  services  of  an  experienced  English 
physician,  I  think  she  would  have  died.  The 
grief  and  anxiety  of  the  people  and  the  school 
children  were  very  pathetic  and  were  only 
equalled  by  their  joy  when  she  began  to  recover. 
They  sincerely  appreciated  her  self-denial  in  liv- 
ing among  them  and  in  sharing  their  sorrows  as 
well  as  their  joys. 

The  strain  on  her  nervous  system  by  these  two 
attacks  and  by  the  incidents  of  our  last  year's  life 
in  Ejahyay,  greatly  weakened  her  constitution 
and,  at  the  end  of  our  second  year  in  Abeokuta 
and  of  our  fourth  in  the  interior,  Mr.  Phillips 
having  returned  from  England,  I  determined  to 
return  for  a  while  to  America.  While  preparing 
to  leave,  I  heard  that  marauders,  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country,  had 
appeared  on  the  Ogun  river  and  were  robbing 
canoes  and  maltreating  those  found  in  them,  even 
selling  some  for  slaves.  Especially  on  account  of 
my  wife,  this  news  was  naturally  very  disturb- 
ing. Besides,  I  had  agreed  to  take  the  two  chil- 
dren of  Enigbio  to  Lagos.  In  leaving  Africa,  I 
did  not  want  to  undo  any  good  I  might  have 

done  if  it  was  possible  to  avoid  so  great  a  mis- 
ses 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

fortune,  and  I  hesitated  to  place  myself  in  a  posi- 
tion in  which  common  humanity  might  force  rne 
to  resort  to  deadly  weapons. 

My  first  thought  was  to  apply  to  the  Bashorun 
for  an  armed  escort,  but  when  I  came  to  con- 
sider the  moral  effect  such  an  application  might 
possibly  have,  I  decided  not  to  do  so,  but  to  go 
on  trusting  in  God  alone,  as  Ezra  did  under  like 
circumstances,  using  only  such  instrumentalities 
as  Christian  prudence  should  suggest  and  God  in 
His  providence  should  seem  to  appoint.  After 
having  taught  these  dark-minded  people  for  four 
years  to  trust  in  our  God  alone,  it  did  not  seem 
to  be  the  right  thing  to  act  as  if  I  myself  did  not 
believe  in  Him ;  and  our  trip  down  the  river  was 
attended  by  some  special  providences  so  remark- 
able that  the  memory  of  them  has  been  a  source 
of  spiritual  strength  to  me  ever  since. 


264 


XXVII 

CAST  AMONG  ROBBERS 

ONE  bright  morning  in  November,  after  an  af- 
fecting parting  with  the  converts  and  children, 
we  came  to  the  bank  of  the  Ogun  on  our  way  to 
America.  It  was  now  the  end  of  the  rainy  sea- 
son and  the  river  was  wide,  deep  and  swift,  and 
presented  an  appalling  scene.  In  addition  to  the 
two  canoemen  and  my  wife,  I  had  in  our  dugout 
a  young  native  convert  to  act  as  interpreter  and 
messenger  and  the  two  native  children  previously 
mentioned.  Besides  the  necessary  provisions,  I 
took  some  presents  for  the  marauders  including  a 
large  box  of  brown  sugar.  This,  I  placed  by  my 
side  in  the  prow  of  the  canoe,  and  under  the 
blanket  on  which  I  sat,  I  placed  my  gun.  I  had 
found  that  a  very  good  way  to  prevent  violence 
among  these  people  is  to  show  that  we  are  ready 
for  it.  Peace  is  promoted  among  them,  as  it  is 
among  nations  more  civilized,  by  an  exhibition 
of  superior  or  at  least  equal  strength. 

During  the  first  forenoon,  I  do  not  remember 
seeing  anything  of  special  interest.  I  was  sur- 
prised to  hear  that  a  dead  manatee  was  ly'mst  u* 
HI 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

the  bank  at  one  place.  I  suppose  it  had  come  up 
from  Lagos  and  been  entrapped  by  some  fisher- 
man. Early  in  the  afternoon,  I  learned  that  we 
had  come  to  the  border  of  the  district  infested  by 
the  robbers  and  it  was  decided  to  stop  until  next 
day;  for  if  we  went  on,  we  would  have  either  to 
camp  in  the  dangerous  district  or  to  travel  in  the 
night,  and  on  account  of  the  darkness  and  float- 
ing trees,  the  latter  would  be  as  dangerous  as  the 
former. 

Too  keenly  alive  to  the  responsibility  I  had 
taken  on  myself  to  sleep  much  that  night,  I  often 
and  fervently  prayed  for  guidance  and  protection 
during  the  coming  day.  All  the  forenoon  of  next 
day,  I  sat  in  the  prow  of  my  canoe  watching 
right  and  left  for  some  sign  of  the  enemy.  As 
we  came  around  a  bend  of  the  river  about  noon, 
my  heart  gave  a  jump  at  the  sight  of  an  armed 
sentinel  standing  on  a  bluff  overhanging  the 
river.  I  knew  we  had  met  them  at  last.  They 
had  a  number  of  canoes  and  were  prepared  to 
pursue  us  if  we  attempted  to  escape,  so  I  ordered 
my  men  to  steer  directly  for  the  spot  and  show 
them  that  we  intended  to  surrender.  As  we  ap- 
proached my  wife  securely  hid  the  children. 

As  soon  as  the  prow  of  our  canoe  touched  the 
bank,  the  sentinel  gruffly  ordered  us  to  come 

266 


Cast  Among  Robbers 

ashore.  I  lifted  my  wife  from  the  canoe,  we 
ascended  the  bank,  took  a  seat  on  a  log  and 
awaited  the  issue.  The  countenance  and  manner 
of  the  sentinel  were  anything  else  than  reassuring 
and  nobody  else  had  yet  appeared.  Presently 
the  leader  and  some  of  his  men  came  out  of  the 
bushes.  I  was  greatly  puzzled  to  observe  that 
the  former  seemed  to  be  much  embarrassed. 
Then  I  recognized  in  him  a  former  officer  in  the 
Ejahyay  army.  He  expressed  much  pleasure 
that  I  had  not  attempted  to  pass  without  stop- 
ping, saying  that  if  I  had  done  so  his  men  would 
have  fired  on  us.  He  then  told  me  that  I  must 
give  his  men  something  to  satisfy  them.  This 
was  very  manifest,  for  they  had  begun  to  grumble 
and  to  scowl  very  ominously  when  they  saw 
how  friendly  their  leader  was  to  me.  I  got  my 
messenger  to  bring  them  a  large  quantity  of 
sugar  and  this  seemed  to  thoroughly  sweeten 
their  tempers. 

In  the  beginning  of  our  coversation,  the  leader 
had  shown  a  scar  on  his  arm  marking  a  place 
from  which  I  had  taken  a  bullet;  and  now  to 
show  his  appreciation,  he  offered  me  some 
chickens  and  some  rum.  The  latter,  much  to 
the  dissatisfaction  of  the  canoemen,  was  de- 
clined but  I  gladly  accepted  the  poultry.  He 

267 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

then  gave  me  a  feather  upon  which  he  had  strung 
three  cowries,  saying  that  there  was  another 
band  down  the  river,  but  when  the  chief  saw 
the  feather  and  cowries  he  would  allow  me  to 
pass  without  trouble. 

We  parted  quite  pleasantly,  shouting  saluta- 
tions to  each  other  as  long  as  we  were  in  hear- 
ing. Shouts  and  yells  down  the  river,  about  an 
hour  afterward,  told  us  that  we  were  approach- 
ing the  other  company.  In  a  few  moments  more 
our  eyes  were  greeted  by  a  perfect  pande- 
monium. In  a  large  clearing  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  were  scores  of  half-naked  men  running 
about,  dancing,  leaping,  yelling  and  utterly 
crazed  by  alcohol.  Although  the  spectacle  was 
so  appalling,  I  thought  it  best  to  go  straight  for 
them.  At  first  they  regarded  us  with  drunken 
surprise,  then  began  to  clamber  into  the  canoe. 

While  the  messenger  was  gone  to  deliver  the 
symbolical  letter  to  their  leader  whose  tent  was 
near  the  bank,  I  was  occupied  in  trying  to  keep 
them  out  of  the  canoe  where  my  wife  and  the 
two  children  were.  They  were  beginning  to  get 
angry,  and  it  looked  as  if  a  display  of  violence 
was  imminent,  when  a  man  leaped  from  the  bank 
into  the  canoe,  seized  my  hand  and  shook  it  with 
drunken  hilarity,  making,  at  the  same  time,  many 

268 


Cast  Among  Robbers 

protestations  of  friendship.  He  then  told  the 
men  trying  to  get  into  the  canoe  that  they  would 
touch  me  at  their  peril.  He  showed  me  the  place 
on  his  wrist  from  which  I  had  taken  a  bone  after 
the  defeat  of  the  Egbars  in  Ejahyay,  and  was 
telling  me  about  his  troubles  since  that  time, 
when  their  chief  suddenly  appeared  among  them, 
rod  in  hand,  and  struck  right  and  left  over  their 
naked  shoulders,  storming  at  the  same  time, 
"  Don't  you  see  me  ?  Don't  you  see  me  ?  "  My 
friend  fled  with  the  rest,  but  I  was  now  safe. 
Again  "  man's  extremity  had  been  God's  oppor- 
tunity," for  I  was  becoming  desperate  and  was 
about  to  resort  to  something  violent  when  the 
Ejahyay  soldier  appeared  and  helped  to  restrain 
the  crazy  mob. 

Having  dispersed,  for  the  moment,  his  drunken 
followers,  the  chief  excitedly  shouted  to  me  that 
the  message  was  all  right  and  then  urged  me  to 
hurry  away  as  quickly  as  possible.  Even  after 
the  canoe  had  gotten  some  distance  from  the 
bank,  a  crowd  ran  down  to  the  river  and  de- 
manded all  sorts  of  things  from  us.  When  the 
uproar  had  ceased,  the  children  showed  their 
perspiring  but  happy  faces.  It  had  been  a  severe 
ordeal  to  them,  for  if  their  presence  had  been  dis- 
covered by  the  robbers,  nothing  but  a  fight  could 

269 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

have  saved  them.  They  had  not  only  been 
greatly  frightened,  but  had  nearly  smothered 
themselves  in  trying  to  hide. 

It  was  not  long  before  they  had  to  crawl  back 
to  cover,  for  we  saw  men  with  guns  running 
along  the  bank  of  the  river  in  the  edge  of  the 
forest.  They  were  evidently  hastening  to  reach 
a  point  where  the  swift  current  would  carry  us 
close  to  land,  but  when  we  swept  past  this  place, 
we  neither  saw  nor  heard  anything  of  them 
again.  But  I  would  not  like  to  say  how  fast  my 
heart  beat,  as  we  darted  by  the  dangerous  point. 
What  they  were  after,  I  never  found  out.  It  was 
another  unsolved  mystery  like  the  incident  in  the 
Ebaddan  forest  at  Lahlookpon. 

About  sundown  we  came  to  a  little  village  in- 
habited by  a  people  called  the  Parraquoi.  Think- 
ing that  we  were  now  out  of  the  dangerous  dis- 
trict, I  stopped  here  to  salute  the  chief  and  to 
request  permission  to  pass  the  night  at  his  town. 
The  landing-place  was  a  strip  of  cleared  ground 
and  to  the  right  was  a  very  tall  bluff  on  which 
the  village  was  situated.  I  sent  my  messenger 
up  to  this  village  to  call  the  chief,  and  while  I  was 
waiting  for  him,  a  man  in  a  soldier's  dress  came 
out  of  the  forest  and  dipped  up  a  bucket  of 
water.  While  doing  this  he  closely  inspected  the 

270 


Cast  Among  Robbers 

canoe  and  then  sullenly  returned  without  paying 
the  slightest  attention  to  my  courteous  salutation. 
This  silence  was  a  declaration  of  war. 

While  impatiently  awaiting  the  return  of  my 
messenger,  I  noticed  other  men  moving  about 
behind  the  bushes  and  I  also  saw  guns.  It  was 
now  clear  that  we  had  been  drawn  into  an  am- 
bush, and  the  robbers  were  waiting  to  see  what 
we  were  going  to  do  before  making  an  attack 
upon  us.  When  the  chief  of  the  Parraquoi  came 
down,  I  saw  that  he  was  excited  and  disturbed, 
and  I  merely  paid  my  respects  to  him  and  re- 
quested permission  to  go  in  peace.  He  laid  his 
staff  on  my  shoulder  and  solemnly  bid  me  go  in 
peace.  Poor  old  man!  Those  kind  words  were 
his  death  warrant.  So  soon  as  he  had  spoken, 
the  robbers  rushed  altogether  from  their  cover- 
ing and  dragged  the  canoe  with  us  in  it,  out 
upon  the  bank.  Then  there  was  a  fierce  hand- 
to-hand  struggle  for  the  mastery  between  the 
followers  of  the  chief  and  the  band  of  robbers 
who  acted  in  concert  but  did  not  seem  to  have 
any  leader.  They  fought  with  clubs  mostly,  but 
the  din  was  so  deafening,  I  could  give  no  orders 
to  my  own  men. 

After  a  brief  struggle  the  Parraquoi  got  be- 
tween us  and  our  enemies,  and  with  the  assist- 
271 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

ance  of  the  canoemen  pushed  our  canoe  back 
into  the  water.  I  could  not  hear  what  anybody 
said,  but  as  we  were  hastening  away,  I  saw  one 
of  the  canoemen  gesticulating  to  me  and  point- 
ing toward  the  bank.  I  turned  and  found  that  a 
number  of  the  robbers  were  aiming  their  guns  at 
me  and  I  heard  one  of  them  say,  "  Duro,  awa  yin 
ebon  si  nyin."  (Stop,  or  we  will  shoot  you.) 
Resistance  being  useless,  I  held  up  my  hand  in 
token  of  surrender.  Just  here,  when  I  could  see 
no  way  of  escape,  God  sent  us  a  deliverance  as 
strange  as  it  was  sudden.  Before  the  prow  of 
the  canoe  touched  the  bank,  some  of  the  Parra- 
quoi  women,  who  had  been  watching  the  fight 
from  the  top  of  the  bluff,  ran  pell-mell  down  the 
steep  descent  and  seized  the  guns  in  the  hands 
of  the  robbers,  while  others  above  besought  us, 
both  by  words  and  gestures,  to  hurry  away. 
The  men  whirled  the  women  through  the  air, 
round  and  round,  and  even  thrashed  them 
against  the  ground,  but  could  not  break  their 
hold.  So  plucky  were  they  that  my  wife  seemed 
to  forget  her  fears  in  admiration  of  their  courage 
and  cried  out,  "Look  at  the  women!  Look  at 
the  women!" 

While  the  men  were  cursing  and  yelling,  be- 
cause they  could  not  release  their  guns,  and  the 

272 


Cast  Among  Robbers 

other  robbers  were  kept  back  from  the  river  by 
the  Parraquoi  men,  I  took  the  advice  of  the 
women  above  us  and  escaped.  The  brawl- 
ing continued  as  long  as  we  were  in  hearing, 
being  sometimes  emphasized  by  the  report  of 
guns.  We  seemed  to  be  pursued  for  a  while, 
but  I  did  not  see  any  one,  only  heard  a  call  be- 
hind us.  I  do  not  know  how  many  were  hurt, 
but  I  learned  from  the  missionary  at  Abeokuta 
that  the  chief  of  the  Parraquoi  was  killed. 

The  sun  had  already  gone  down  when  we 
escaped,  and  soon  it  was  intensely  dark.  To 
guard  against  floating  obstructions,  as  great 
trees,  I  stretched  myself,  with  hands  extended, 
on  the  prow  of  the  canoe.  We  met  with  no 
accident  during  the  remainder  of  the  night,  but 
the  hideous  bellowings  of  great  crocodiles  in  the 
inky  blackness  greatly  disturbed  my  already 
nervous  wife.  Several  times  we  saw  lights 
and  heard  voices  on  shore,  but  we  went  swiftly 
and  silently  by  without  getting  again  into 
trouble.  Hearing  the  nine  o'clock  gun  at  Lagos, 
we  knew  we  were  in  the  boundaries  of  the  Eng- 
lish "protectorate"  at  that  time,  and  we  felt 
secure  enough  to  stop  and  wait  until  the  moon 
rose. 

Next  morning,  just  as  the  sun  rose  in  all  its 

273 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

tropical  splendor,  worn  out  but  happy  and 
thankful,  we  came  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Ogun 
into  the  broad  and  beautiful  lagoon  upon  which 
Lagos  is  situated.  During  our  stay  in  the  in- 
terior this  town  had  become  an  English  colony 
and,  materially,  had  greatly  changed.  This 
revolution,  together  with  changes  physical, 
mental  and  spiritual  which  had  taken  place  in 
myself  during  the  eventful  four  years  of  my 
residence  away  from  civilization,  made  me  feel 
as  if  I  had  been  absent  a  long  time — almost  a 
lifetime.  After  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  the 
missionaries  and  the  governor  of  Lagos,  we  took 
the  mail  steamer  for  Liverpool,  crossing  the 
raging  bar  in  a  little  tugboat.  This  was  a  very 
pleasant  change  from  the  old  canoe  or  surf  boat, 
for  the  bar  at  Lagos  in  the  rainy  season  is  the 
most  terrible  landing-place  I  ever  saw.  Early 
in  the  morning,  at  times,  the  roar  of  the  surf  on 
the  beach  sounds  like  the  booming  of  cannon. 


874 


XXVIII 

THE  COLONY  OF  LAGOS 

LEAVING  my  wife  in  America  to  follow  when 
her  health  would  permit,  I  returned  alone  to 
Lagos;  but  here  I  learned  that,  on  account  of 
a  difficulty  with  the  governor  of  Lagos,  the 
Bashorun  of  Abeokuta,  instigated  by  Shookanoo, 
who  cordially  hated  the  whites  and  was  a 
counterpart  of  Ogumulla,  had  broken  up  the 
mission  stations  and  that  all  our  people  who 
could  get  away  with  Mr.  Phillips,  were  then  in 
Lagos. 

For  two  years,  I  waited  for  an  opportunity  to 
get  back  to  Abeokuta,  but  was  never  permitted 
to  see  the  place  again,  a  serious  illness  compell- 
ing me  to  return,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  to 
America.  Before  bidding  adieu  to  the  reader,  I 
will  say  something  of  my  life  in  this  now  beau- 
tiful town  and  of  the  present  state  of  things  in 
this  part  of  Western  Africa. 

When  I  returned  from  America,  things  were 
on  a  "boom"  in  Lagos,  and  comfortable  dwell- 
ings could  not  be  rented  for  any  price  and,  after 

living  for  a  while  in  the  elegant  dwelling  of  the 
276 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

absent  negro  postmaster,  I  was  forced  to  take  up 
my  residence  in  the  original  mud  hut  of  the 
American  Baptist  Mission.  In  this  house  I  learned 
more  of  the  fauna  of  this  part  of  the  coast  in 
two  years  than  I  could  now  learn  in  many  years 
if  I  were  occupying  the  elegant  brick  residence 
which  is  now  the  home  of  the  Baptist  missionary. 
The  house  was  a  good  illustration  of  the  kind  of 
houses  occupied  by  pioneer  missionaries  in  this 
part  of  Africa.  The  ceiling  was  like  that  of  na- 
tive houses — palm  poles  covered  with  mats  and 
with  earth.  The  floor  was  made  of  boards  from 
split  logs.  The  walls  were  of  adobe  and  the 
windows  were  holes  in  the  walls  closed  by  shut- 
ters made  of  split  boards.  The  house  had  be- 
come old  and  the  ceiling  was  either  gone  in  some 
of  the  rooms  or  had  been  replaced  by  loose  palm 
poles  through  which  the  lizards  roosting  up  there 
frequently  fell  into  the  sleeping-room  at  night 
and  got  up  a  great  "rumpus."  One  night  I 
heard  something  fall,  and  not  hearing  the  usual 
scuffling  which  followed  such  a  mishap  to  one 
of  my  saurian  pets,  I  lighted  a  candle  and  inves- 
tigated. I  found  that  it  was  a  species  of  centi- 
pede. The  legs  were  large  and  far  apart;  it  was 
about  a  foot  long  and  had  a  long,  sharp  spike  at 
the  end  of  its  tail.  When  I  pinned  it  to  the  wall 

276 


The  Colony  of  Lagos 

with  a  sword  cane,  it  proved  to  be  very  tenacious 
of  life  and  struck  right  and  left  in  a  most  savage 
manner.  The  natives  say  that  its  spike  is  very 
poisonous,  and  I  felt  very  thankful  that  I  did  not 
get  it  into  my  foot. 

The  ordinary  species  of  centipede  is  very  nu- 
merous in  the  sands  of  the  streets,  and  are  so  so- 
ciable that  I  frequently,  on  retiring  at  night, 
found  one  snugly  ensconced  between  the  white 
sheets.  Rats  and  snakes  contested  for  empire 
under  the  floors,  and  as  the  last  were  full  of 
holes,  the  rats  spent  much  of  their  time  in  the 
rooms  of  the  house,  even  contesting  with  me  for 
the  food  on  the  table.  One  bold  marauder  took 
bread  from  the  table  while  I  was  eating.  The 
snakes  were  often  large,  but  I  could  not  learn 
much  about  them.  The  natives  were  much  afraid 
of  them,  but  I  did  not  hear  of  a  single  instance 
in  which  any  one  was  killed  by  a  snake,  though 
I  heard  of  one  instance  in  which  a  white  man 
was  nearly  frightened  to  death  by  one. 

There  were  many  varieties  of  ants  and  beetles, 
some  of  the  last  being  not  only  of  great  size  but  of 
wonderful  beauty.  The  large  lizards  (of  which 
mention  has  already  been  made)  had  the  freedom 
of  the  house.  To  keep  them  out  was  too  much 

trouble  and  they  were  useful  in  destroying  the 
277 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

young  of  the  cen*"pedes.  More  than  a  hundred 
slept  on  the  loose  bamboo  poles  over  my  bed. 

In  a  field  back  of  the  house  were  many  ant- 
palaces,  some  of  them  seven  or  eight  feet  high, 
and  it  often  afforded  me  most  pleasant  recreation 
to  study  their  wonderful  structure.  While  wan- 
dering about  among  them,  I  sometimes  came 
upon  amphibious  saurians  three  feet  long  whose 
mad  rush  for  the  water  made  me  perform  some 
extraordinary  gymnastic  feats.  At  night,  large 
bats,  about  the  size  of  rats,  would  flit  through 
the  trees  around  my  shanty.  At  a  distance  they 
appeared  to  be  hawks. 

But  my  circumstances  were  forgotten  in  the 
pleasant  social  intercourse,  not  only  with  the 
English  missionaries,  but  with  educated  natives 
among  whom  I  had  valued  acquaintances.  One 
of  these  last,  was  Bishop  Samuel  Crowther.  In 
my  last  desperate  illness  which  compelled  me  to 
give  up  my  work  among  the  people  of  Africa, 
the  last  voice  of  prayer  at  my  bedside  was  that 
of  this  devoted  servant  of  God  as  he  pleaded  for 
my  restoration  to  health. 

The  history  of  Mrs.  Davis,  another  native  ac- 
quaintance, was  almost  as  remarkable  as  that  of 
Crowther.  When  a  little  girl,  she  had  been  sent 
as  a  present  to  the  Queen  of  England  by  the 

278 


The  Colony  of  Lagos 

bloody  King  of  Dahomey.  The  queen  felt  the 
responsibility  and  gave  the  young  slave  girl  the 
best  education  her  kingdom  afforded  for  girls, 
and  the  accomplishments  of  the  young  captive 
were  quite  marked.  She  was  a  musician, 
poetess,  linguist  and  brilliant  conversationalist. 
At  her  marriage  with  a  wealthy  native  merchant, 
the  queen  thought  fit  to  be  present  and  the  bride 
was  given  away  by  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  her 
representative.  Like  Crowther,  she  was  jet  black 
and  had  the  tribal  and  family  marks  deeply  cut 
into  her  face.  Educated  Yorubans  have  greatly 
multiplied  since  then,  but  the  history  of  these  two 
is  quite  sufficient  to  show  that  there  are  great 
possibilities  before  the  Yoruban  race. 

The  civilization  of  Lagos,  however,  can  be  of 
little  use  to  Yorubans  so  long  as  its  influence  is 
counteracted  by  the  rum  trade.  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  this  is  not  discouraged,  at  least,  by 
the  authorities  at  Lagos.  On  account  of  the 
revenue  which  it  brings  in,  they  are  said  to  rather 
encourage  it. 

Mussulmans,  especially  Haussas,  are  greatly 
favored  by  the  Lagos  authorities.  About  fifteen 
millions  of  people  speak  the  Haussa  language 
and  a  professorship  in  it  has  been  established  in 
Cambridge  University.  This  gentleman  is  said 

279 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

to  prophesy  that  English,  Arabic,  Suaheelee  and 
Haussa  will,  in  course  of  time,  be  the  only  lan- 
guages generally  spoken  in  Africa.  I  hope,  how- 
ever, it  will  be  a  long  time  before  any  other  su- 
percedes  the  musical  Yoruban  tongue. 

The  Haussas  make  excellent,  dashing  soldiers, 
and  are  the  chief  reliance  of  the  English  in  their 
wars  with  the  natives  in  this  part  of  the  conti- 
nent. They  are  the  Sepoys  of  Africa. 

The  favor  shown  the  Haussas  has  drawn  Mos- 
lems of  other  nationalities  to  Lagos  and,  out  of  a 
population  of  nearly  one  hundred  thousand,  they 
probably  constitute  one-half.  The  shrill  cry  of 
the  muezzin  and  the  loud  prayers  of  the  priests, 
which  literally  pierce  the  skies,  never  fail  to  break 
the  stillness  of  the  early  morning. 

Pagan  rulers  sometimes  get  Moslem  priests  to 
pray  for  them.  The  prayers  offered  up  by  the 
priest  of  the  Bashorun  in  the  camp  at  Ejahyay, 
could  be  heard  all  over  the  city.  This  shows 
that  religion  among  these  people  is  often  a  strange 
mixture  of  paganism  and  Mohammedanism.  Yet 
I  had  little  success  in  my  labors  among  Moham- 
medans because  they  regarded  me  as  an  idolater. 
For  this  reason  my  time,  while  in  Lagos,  was 
chiefly  occupied  in  training  the  refugees  from 
Abeokuta  and  in  laboring  among  the  heathen 

280 


The  Colony  of  Lagos 

population.  Among  the  refugees,  we  had  some 
very  interesting  converts  who  have  since  be- 
come successful  missionaries  to  their  people. 
Among  these  is  Moses  Ladejo  Stone  who  was 
one  of  the  children  at  the  Abeokuta  orphanage 
previously  mentioned.  He  now  has  charge  of 
the  Baptist  station  at  Lagos  and  is  an  able 
preacher  and  consecrated  Christian. 

The  English,  after  some  bloody  conflicts  with 
the  Egbars  and  other  Yorubans,  have  obtained 
political  control  of  this  part  of  Africa,  establish- 
ing a  kind  of  autonomy  except  in  the  case  of 
Abeokuta.  That  town  is  still  independent 
through  treaty  rights,  but  doubtless  will  not  re- 
main so  very  long.  This  supremacy  of  the  Eng- 
lish gives  to  the  missionaries  of  that  nation, 
especially  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England, 
a  great  advantage  over  those  of  America;  but 
the  work  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Southern 
Baptist  Convention  has  been  attended  by  marked 
success.  For  Rev.  C.  E.  Smith  and  Rev.  W.  T. 
Lumbley  and  their  native  co-laborers  and  any 
others  who  may  yet  follow  them,  we  hope  our 
Christian  readers  will  often  think  to  pray. 

This  part  of  Africa  being  now  "pacified," 
foreign  enterprise  and  capital  will  soon  open  it 
up  to  commerce.  The  English  have  already  com- 

281 


In  Afric's  Forest  and  Jungle 

menced  a  railroad  which  is  intended  to  connect 
Lagos  with  the  Niger,  passing  through  Abeokuta, 
Ebaddan,  Ogbomishaw  and  Illorin.  In  a  few 
years,  this  wonderful  innovation  will  probably 
be  completed. 

The  author  may  not  be  permitted  to  travel  on 
that  road,  but  so  long  as  he  lives,  he  will  often  in 
imagination  revisit  the  scenes  so  hallowed  by 
precious  memories.  It  is  humbly  hoped  that  this 
simple  but  true  story  of  life  among  those  who 
dwell  in  pagan  darkness,  may  lead  some  reader 
to  carry  to  their  dark  souls  the  light  of  the  true 
knowledge  of  God. 


THE  END 


MISSIONS,  AFRICA. 


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The  Shoemaker  who  became  "the  Father  and  Founder  of 
Foreign  Missions."  By  Rev.  JOHN  B.  MYERS.  Missionary 
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William  Carey. 

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Bishop  of  Calcutta,  Scholar  and  Evangelist,     By  ARTHUR 
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Heavenly  Pearls  Set  in  a  Life. 

A  Record  of  Experiences  and  Labors  in  America,  India, 
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121710,  cloth,  $1.50. 


MISSIONS,  CHINA. 


Chinese  Characteristics. 

By  Rev.  ARTHUR  H.  SMITH,  D.D.,  for  25  years  a  Missionary 
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"The  best  book  on  the  Chinese  people." — The  Examiner. 

A  Cycle  of  Cathay; 

Or,  China,  South  and  North.  With  personal  reminiscen- 
ces. By  W.  A.  P.  MARTIN,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
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an  authoritative  work  on  China." — The  Outlook. 

Glances  at  China. 

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Pictures  of  Southern  China. 

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The  Sister  Martyrs  of  Ku  Cheng. 

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China. 

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